It will be 54-year-old Mike Tyson vs. 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition fight this Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. But it won't be the first time former world champions have stepped into the ring at such an advanced age.
Tyson and Jones will compete over eight two-minute rounds in a contest not officially recognized as a professional boxing bout, but the sport's history has its fair share of evergreen competitors at a high level — even sometimes in world title fights.
Jones himself last competed professionally in 2018 at the age of 49 with a unanimous decision win against an overwhelmed Scott Sigmon. But here are five fighters who went even longer.
Roberto Duran
Less than a month after his 50th birthday, Duran (103-16, 70 KOs) stepped between the ropes for what would be the final time in his professional career.
Duran, a former four-weight world champion and undisputed lightweight kingpin, notched two consecutive wins in the year 2000 against Americans Pat Lawlor and Patrick Goossen, both via unanimous decision and the former taking place on his 49th birthday. The following year, "El Cholo" went one step further.
In a rematch against Hector "Macho" Camacho at super-middle, Duran tried — and failed — to avenge a defeat to Camacho from five years prior. Camacho, himself approaching 40, was ruled the winner by all three ringside judges, just like he was in 1996 at middleweight.
Bob Fitzsimmons
Old-timey slugger Fitzsimmons was boxing's first ever three-weight world champion, and the lightest-ever heavyweight champ at just 165 pounds. And in 1914, the Brit went out with a win at the age of 51.
His six-round victory over Jersey Bellew on Feb. 20 at the Municipal Hall in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, came via "newspaper decision" — a result that occured with some frequency back in those days, as a consensus of sportswriters in attendance at the event would decide upon the winner of a contest that went the distance in regions that had not yet adopted the National Sporting Club of London's rules regarding judges and referees.
Bernard Hopkins
"The Executioner" was 51 years, 337 days old when he was stopped in the eighth of 12 rounds by Joe Smith Jr. on Dec. 17, 2016, in a fight for the WBC International light heavyweight title. But though he lost his final two bouts to Smith and Sergey Kovalev, Hopkins will forever be remembered as one of the sport's timeless greats.
Hopkins not only fought into his late 40s and early 50s, but he broke the record for oldest world boxing championship win at age 46 before breaking his own record twice in 2013 and 2014.
Larry Holmes
Former heavyweight champion Holmes fought twice in his 50s. The first came on Nov. 17, 2000, when he halted Mike Weaver in Round 6 of their Biloxi, Mississippi, 10-rounder. Then, on July 27, 2002, "The Easton Assassin" called it a day in unique style.
The 52-year-old Holmes won a 10-round decision over legendary sideshow fighter Eric "Butterbean" Esch, who weighed 300-plus pounds, at the Norfolk Scope in Virginia. It left Holmes with a final record of 69-6 (44 KOs).
Jack Johnson
The trailblazing Texan and first African-American world heavyweight boxing champion continued to compete until the ripe of age of 60. Yes, 60!
Johnson lost to Walter Price via seventh-round KO in his final professional fight, though he continued to compete in short exhibitions known as "cellar fights" for private audiences up until he was 67 in order to make a living. He died at 68 in a highway car crash in North Carolina.