what boxer has had the latest prime in there career??

[SuzieQ49]

archie moore defintley


he was the only fighter i have ever seen in history who was still in his prime at 40 years old. archie is simply a freak of nature

[oldgringo]

The guys in my sig and av lately. Toney and Hopkins retained their skills, toughness and fighting ability late into their careers.

Roberto Duran is another guy who fought well late in his career...beating Barkley and Castro when he was an old man.

[RockyMarcianofan00]

Archie Moore- guy is like no fighter i've seen,probably the only guy that fought from Jim Braddocks Time (even though he was lhw at the time) to Ali's time. he fought nearly 30 years, crazy/
and

Jersey Joe Walcott he was most prime against Marciano at age 38

[Frazier's 15th round]

Yeah, I was thinking Walcott as well.

[BKM-]

Everyone you guys mentioned and Antonio Tarver aswell soon.

[SuzieQ49]

we also shouldnt leave bernard hopkins out. he probably reached his peak at age 36 years old when he knocked out tito.

[butterfly1964]

didnt depmsey surge late also

no, not really.

[Famoso Matador]

Glen Johnson is a late bloomer

[machotime]

archie moore.

This is correct

[mokele]

Archie Moore, Bernard Hopkins, Daniel Zaragoza

The 3 that come immediately to mind are Archie Moore, Bernard Hopkins and Daniel Zaragoza. A couple of others that were still very good in their late 30s were Mike McCallum and of course George Foreman.

So many fighters are reaching their peak well into their 30s today, probably due in large measure to the fact that today's fighters generally fight 6 to 12 times per year when they're on the rise for their 1st few years, and then if they hit the big time, only 2 to 3 times per year after that. There are a few exceptions, guys like Buck Smith and Marty Jakubowski, but long gone are the days of fighters like Harry Greb, fighting 30 to 40 times per year. Even Duane Bobick fought a lot more than most heavyweights today. This allows the modern fighters to stay at or near their prime for longer, well into their 30s or even early 40s such as Bernard Hopkins.

Style has a lot to do with longevity. Sluggers who take a lot of shots usually don't last long. Skilled outside boxers who can sometimes go through an entire fight without getting hit by more than grazing blows can last well into their 30s or early 40s if they stay in shape. Larry Holmes was actually better at avoiding punishment than Ali, and so his prime lasted a bit longer for example.