By Zubair Ali March 27th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Recent fights have had me thinking that the definition of an ‘old’ fighter needs revising. A fighter in his 30’s no longer seems to be all that old. Rob Norton at 37 handed David Dolan the second defeat of his career for the British Cruiserweight title in what proved to be a thrilling and tight affair.
Martin Rogan, 37 and Matt Skelton, 42, contested the Commonwealth Heavyweight title in a bruising encounter in which Rogan upset the odds with an 11th round stoppage and continued his fairytale story.
Danny Williams, who sensationally knocked out the ferocious Mike Tyson, is the British Heavyweight champion at 35. The ‘Brixton Bomber’ defends against John McDermott on May 2. There are currently over five British champions who have bypassed the 30 mark. That in itself shows that 30 is no longer a sign of the end of a fighting career.
This trend has followed on the world scene. ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley rolled back the years with a stunning knockout of the seemingly irrepressible Antonio Margarito. Juan Manuel Marquez silenced the critic’s claims that he is nearing the twilight of his career with a 9th round knockout of Juan Diaz in a pulsating contest to be crowned the WBO and WBA Lightweight Champion and the worlds best at 135lbs.
At 35, Marquez looks as good as ever and is a possible future opponent for our very own Amir Khan, who looks set to fight for a world title fight later in the year.
The evergreen Bernard Hopkins produced a devastating performance at the age of 43 when he dismantled the undisputed middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik to win a lopsided unanimous decision. Hopkins, who is 17 years Pavlik’s senior, has revealed he intends to move up to the cruiserweight division to possibly face IBF Champion Tomasz Adamek. More...
