Boxer Bernard Hopkins, at 46 years old, just won the WBC light-heavyweight title by defeating Jean Pascal in Montreal. That's a year older than George Foreman was when he won the heavyweight title in 1995. On some level I suppose boxing's occasional perennials make sense; you can continue to be very strong and relatively nimble in short bursts into your old age more easily than you can continue to dunk or hit a tiny baseball or cut through a hole in the defensive line. But that won't keep me from being impressed when it happens, although Hopkins's victory isn't quite so impressive as Rocky Balboa's return to boxing prominence at 58 years-old, against Mason "The Line" Dixon.
↵In case you were wondering, the oldest NFL player—predictably kickers—remains George Blanda, who played until he was 48; the oldest St. Louis Cardinals player ever is technically Gabby Street, who made a one plate-appearance return to active duty while the Cardinals 48-year-old manager in 1931, while Jim Kaat, who spent his last three-and-a-half years with the Cardinals between 1980 and 1983, is the oldest player to have primarily been a player. Kaat made 24 relief appearances for the Cardinals in 1983, when he was 44 years old. (He began his career all the way back in 1959.)
↵So congratulations to Bernard Hopkins, who is now reaching placekicker age himself. If it means he's allowed to wear one of those football helmets with the single-bar facemask he could probably continue to box for a while yet...
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