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Crawford, Usyk: Boxing's world champions who are getting better with age
Boxing has long been a sport where youth is one of the single most valuable commodities for any fighter. But over the last two decades, there has been a rising tide of bona fide world champions in their mid/late thirties and even 40s.
This is not to say there have never been older world champions in boxing – examples such as Bernard Hopkins, George Foreman, and Manny Pacquiao stand as exceptions to the rule of their generations.
Fighters used to turn professional much earlier in their lives, as earning money was the primary objective of most fighters – and still is. But the pressure was much higher to fight frequently, and turning professional young, having over 40 fights by the time you are 25 – puts miles on the clock.
These days, the amateur circuit is a much more lucrative and enticing proposition for fighters. With prize money and sponsorship deals - we are seeing many more fighters stay as ‘amateurs’ for not just one but two Olympic cycles and not turning pro until their mid twenties or even approaching 30.
This is a far cry from the 70s and 80s that saw fighters claiming world titles at just 17 and 18 years of age – even some of the biggest names in the sport like Mike Tyson, who claimed his first world title at 20.
But the evolution of the sport has meant that the average world champion in the 21st century probably fights up to four times a year, but even some of those at the very upper echelons can fight once, maybe twice and still be considered elite level – Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez are good examples of this.
What this has bred is a new generation of fighters, who do not have as many rounds of wear and tear on their bodies – paired with incredible advances in training methods and recovery science – allowing them to fight well into their 30s and 40s at the very highest level.
In honour of the champions who have aged like a fine wine – here is a list of the oldest active world champions in boxing today.
Willibaldo Garcia (35)
Willibaldo Garcia is an unlikely story of late success, following a struggling early career to become a world champion in his mid-thirties.
Garcia was born in Copala, Mexico and turned professional in 2017 at 24, with no amateur background to speak of.
It was a less-than-ideal start to his career, going 2-3-1 in his first six fights. In the modern era, this could have seen him demoted to journeyman status, but he showed incredible perseverance and drive to continue to push up the ranks.
After two more attempts at international honours – losing to Alexandro Santiago and Paul Butler – it looked like the top step of boxing was not in the script for Garcia.
But a 10-fight unbeaten streak led Garcia all the way to a dream world title shot against Rene Calixto Bibiano for the vacant IBF super flyweight strap last year on December 21, just three days from his 35th birthday.
The pair fought to a split decision draw, and the rematch was made for May 2025, where Garcia would put on the performance of a lifetime to claim his first world title at 35 years old.
Terence Crawford (37)
After his history-making win over Canelo Alvarez to become the undisputed super middleweight champion and the first three-weight undisputed champion in the four-belt era just two weeks before his 38th birthday, Terence Crawford will go down as one of the best boxers of all time.
Crawford did not make his entry to the professional ranks late. He made his debut in 2008 at 20 years old in the lightweight division.
He would go on to dominate every division he competed in and is now a five-division world champion, with the potential for more.
Crawford is one of those cases, as aforementioned, of a very well looked-after career. Crawford has never fought more than four times in one year and, since 2020, has only fought once a year, which has guided him to an unbeaten 42-0 (31), in a 17-year career.
The American won his first world title at 26 and has been a dominant champion for well over a decade now.
Crawford’s ability to maintain his exceptional strength and boxing IQ whilst fighting so infrequently is a testament to him and his team’s work behind the scenes.
Across his career, he has taken on the best his division has had to offer him, claiming wins over Viktor Postol, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Julius Indongo, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, Dave Avenesyan and Errol Spence.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Oleksandr Usyk (38)
Oleksandr Usyk has not only proven himself to be one of the greatest conquerors in heavyweight history, but also that age is truly just a number.
After winning an Olympic gold in 2012, Usyk only turned professional when he was 26 years old.
Usyk had nearly 300 bouts as an amateur, and his most prized achievement in his long and illustrious career as a boxer is his Olympic gold medal – demonstrating the modern shift to a higher value amateur career being able to propel a fighter into world title contention as soon as they turn pro.
In only 24 fights, Usyk has become a three-time undisputed champion – first cleaning up handily in the cruiserweight division, then moving swiftly on to sweep up all the heavyweight belts in less than five years.
Along the way, he has beaten the best of this current era of heavyweights twice, dispatching Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois.
He first became the undisputed heavyweight champion against Fury, aged 37, then reclaimed the IBF title – knocking out Dubois at 38.
It is not just his age that makes it impressive; it was the style and prowess he did it with. The way Usyk boxes, light on his feet, in constant motion, throwing punches in bunches, not only defies logic as a heavyweight, but also as a man of his age.
Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
Badou Jack (41)
Badou Jack was another late starter, due to his Olympic ambitions, representing The Gambia at the 2008 Olympic Games before making his pro debut at 25 years old.
Jack has had a mixed career that saw him win the WBC super middleweight title in 2013 when he was nearly 30. Whilst campaigning at super middleweight, he claimed impressive wins over elite competition like Anthony Dirrell and George Groves.
He moved up to light heavyweight, where he struggled to gain a foothold, only ever getting his hands on the WBA regular belt before he moved up to cruiserweight and has been enjoying something of an Indian summer in his late thirties and early 40s.
The pinnacle of this came in 2023 when he dramatically stopped Ilunga Makabu in the 12th round to claim the WBC cruiserweight title at 39, which he has successfully defended once against Noel Mikaelian.
Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
Erislandy Lara (42)
Erislandy Lara has been a stalwart of the ring since 2008, when he, on his second attempt, successfully defected from Cuba to pursue his career as a professional boxer rather than fight at the 2008 Olympics, where he was a favourite to medal.
Lara is a pure boxer who has been a serious problem for some of the very best – including Canelo Alvarez, who could only squeak past Lara on a split decision in 2014.
He won his first recognised world title when he was 33, against Terrell Gausha, which he would unfortunately lose in his next fight against Jarrett Hurd in an attempt to unify the WBA and IBF titles.
In a similar vein to Crawford, once Lara had established himself as a world title contender, he decided to only fight two times a year from 2013 onwards.
This saw him make steady progress, but a few losses along the way would halt his progress, and only fighting twice a year, limited his opportunities to prove himself.
Lara has since become the WBA middleweight champion after his ‘Regular’ title was elevated. He has defied the odds and defended it twice in his 40s against Michael Zerafa and Danny Garcia – both last year.
(Getty Images)
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