It’s a question that has been asked for more than a decade, but Hopkins, who turns 50 on Jan. 15, continues to defy Father Time. Hopkins won’t be able to do it forever, but has been making him look like a fool for years.
Even after a division-record 20 middleweight title defenses, three title reigns at light heavyweight and multiple upsets (Felix Trinidad, Antonio Tarver and Kelly Pavlik being the most notable), Hopkins is still going strong. And every time he steps into the ring he adds to his age-related boxing records.
He is already the oldest fighter in history to win a world title (first at 46, then at 48), to hold a world title and to defend a world title. Philadelphia’s Hopkins is also the oldest fighter to unify titles, doing so in April when he dropped Beibut Shumenov in a masterful decision win.
“He is not only the oldest boxing champion, he is [one of] the oldest [champions] in any sport,” said Naazim Richardson, Hopkins’ trainer. “We can’t even reduce him to boxing any more; he’s no longer just ours.”