These five fighters weren’t over the hill

Bernard Hopkins has already delivered a virtuoso performance after the age of 40, his convincing decision over Antonio Tarver in 2006 – Hopkins’ first fight in the light heavyweight division.

A similar victory over rising star Kelly Pavlik on Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J. would only solidify the 43-year old Hopkins’ place among the most-successful post-40 fighters in boxing history.

However, he has some formidable company in the not-so-over-the-hill gang. Here’s a look at the five greatest accomplishments by fighters 40 and older (in chronological order):

Bob Fitzsimmons vs. George Gardiner
Nov. 25, 1903, San Francisco
Fitzsimmons’ age: 40
The fight: Fitzsimmons already was a legend when he fought Gardiner, who had become the first champion of the newly created light heavyweight division by knocking out Jack Root four months earlier. Fitzsimmons won the middleweight title by knocking out the original Jack “Nonpareil” Dempsey (not the star of the 1920s) in 1891 and went on to stop a much-bigger James J. Corbett with his famous “solar plexus” punch to win the heavyweight championship six years later. The blacksmith from New Zealand with the massive shoulders and spindly legs could’ve walked away at that point as one of the sport’s greatest figures. However, when the 175-pound division was created, Fitzsimmons seized the opportunity to further enhance his reputation. Still fit, he outboxed his 26-year-old rival to win a 20-round decision and become the first fighter to win titles in three weight classes. Fitzsimmons would move back up to the heavyweight division with mixed results before finally retiring permanently at 50. However, the fact that even today his name comes up in boxing circles is evidence of his lasting legacy. When Roy Jones Jr. outpointed John Ruiz in 2003, he joined Fitzsimmons as the only one-time middleweight champion to win a heavyweight belt.

Archie Moore vs. Yvon Durelle
Dec. 10, 1958, Montreal
Moore’s age: 41 (or 44)
The fight: Moore was either 41 or 44 (depending on whether you believe him or his mother) and had been fighting professionally for 23 years when he stepped into the ring to defend his light heavyweight title against the largely unknown 28-year-old fisherman from Canada. Moore was defending his title for the seventh time and trying to become the all-time knockout king, having gone into the fight tied with Young Stribling with 127 KOs. No one gave Durelle much of a chance. And then the opening bell rang. Moore had barely worked up a sweat when he was knocked down by a right and appeared to be out cold. He got up just in time. And then went down again. And up. And down. Three times in the first round and once more in the fifth. He would later be quoted as saying, “Is this really happening to me?” Somehow he persevered in what would become a classic example of survival. By mid-fight, Moore, fully recovered, seized control of the fight as Durelle started to fade. Finally, in the 10th round, an exhausted Durelle was battered to the canvas by a barrage of punches and was stopped by a right in the 11th. Thus, Moore retained his title, claimed the KO record and made a bit a history.

Larry Holmes vs. Ray Mercer
Feb. 7, 1992, Atlantic City, N.J.
Holmes’ age: 42
The fight: Larry Holmes was no longer the seemingly unbeatable fighter of the 1970s and early 1980s when he faced the then-unbeaten (18-0) gold medalist from the 1988 Seoul Olympics, who had brutally knocked out Tommy Morrison in his previous fight and was in line to fight Evander Holyfield for the heavyweight title. Holmes was supposed to be a safe fight in the meantime. However, the “Easton Assassin” still had that incredible jab – perhaps the best in boxing history – and the guile to pull off one last great performance. To the shock of many in the crowd, Holmes controlled the fight almost from beginning to end with his jab and calculated aggression. The old man had such as easy time that he actually taunted Mercer and talked to ringsiders during the action, a clear sign that he had no worries. He also heard chants of “Larry, Larry,” which was music to the ears of a tremendously talented fighter that had always been underappreciated. In the end, Holmes earned a unanimous decision and the right to fight Holyfield himself four months later. He lost, although he gave a credible performance, and would never again enjoy success as he once did. However, he showed against Mercer that he still had plenty left at 40-plus.

George Foreman vs. Michael Moorer
Nov. 5, 1994, Las Vegas
Foreman’s age: 45
The fight: Foreman didn’t emerge from his 10-year hiatus from boxing at 38 years old and dive immediately back into the title picture. He fought regularly to rebuild his reputation and physical condition. Thus, he was 27-2 in his comeback and a legitimate Top-10 heavyweight when he met the then-unbeaten IBF and WBA heavyweight champ Moorer. At this time, Moorer, the former light heavyweight champ, was undefeated but had been knocked down several times as a heavyweight. Meanwhile, Foreman had deteriorated physically but still had both his power and surprising stamina. His performance against Moorer was anything but great for nine-plus rounds. The skillful younger fighter boxed the old man silly to take a significant lead on the scorecards and prompt more than one spectator to cry, “This is a joke.” Well, Foreman got the last laugh. He claimed afterward that he set a trap for Moorer, just waiting for the opening to land what he was certain would be the deciding blow. It came at 2:03 of the 10th round, a straight right on the chin that put the champ on his back. Moorer couldn’t get up, giving Foreman the heavyweight title 20 years after he lost it to Muhammad Ali. Some suggested the result was so improbable that the fight must’ve been fixed. Said Foreman: “Sure the fight was fixed. I fixed it with a right hand.”

Bernard Hopkins vs. Antonio Tarver
June 10, 2006, Atlantic City, N.J.
Hopkins’ age: 41
The fight: Hopkins billed this as his farewell fight, which no one took seriously given his love for the sport and enduring earning power. However, it would’ve been a great way to go out. Going into the fight, Hopkins was coming off possibly the most-frustrating period in his career. His remarkable streak of middleweight title defenses ended at a division-record 20 when he lost a split decision to Jermain Taylor and subsequently was outpointed again by Taylor. It seemed that his age had finally caught up to him. So what did he do? He moved up two weight classes to fight one of the better light heavyweights of his time, one who once knocked out Roy Jones Jr. and then easily outpointed Jones in his most-recent fight. The result was stunning. Hopkins, as slick as ever, dominated from beginning to end to win all but two rounds on all three cards. He even put Tarver down in the fifth round. Immediately afterward, one man wasn’t the least bit surprised. “I told people,” Hopkins said, “they would be surprised that it would be an easy fight.” It should be noted that Tarver, then 37, had to lose the 43 pounds he put on to play a heavyweight in the film “Rocky Balboa,” which might explain his apparent lethargy. Still, we saw what we saw: Hopkins turned in one of his finest and most-memorable performances of his career at 41.