Who are the oldest active professional boxers today?
Boxing is a sport where youth is a valuable commodity. To keep your reactions and hand speed is an uphill climb as a fighter ages, which leads to fighters commonly retiring before the age of 40.
But we are increasingly seeing fighters push the limits of how old a fighter can be and still be competitive. For example, Artur Beterbiev becoming the undisputed light-heavyweight champion at nearly 40, Manny Pacquiao returning to challenge for the WBC welterweight title at 46 or perhaps the most extreme example, Oliver McCall having his second fight of the year at 60 years old.
In honour of McCall's incredible resurgence, being undefeated in three fights since 2024, here are the oldest active professional boxers.
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Firat Arslan
Age: 54
Nationality: Germany
Division: Cruiserweight
Record: 56-9-3 (41 KOs)
Arslan is a career cruiserweight based out of Germany, who made his professional debut in 1997, and has been active every year since, bar 2009, due to a life-threatening cycling injury.
Arslan won his first version of a world title in 2008 when he converted his WBA Interim title into the Regular belt, beating Virgil Hill on points. He lost this title the next year to Guillermo Jones
The German challenged unsuccessfully for full world titles three times, fighting Marco Huck twice for the WBO cruiserweight title and Yoan Pablo Hernandez for the IBF title between 2012 and 2014.
Undeterred by falling short, Arslan continued to campaign and in 2020 earned himself a shot at Kevin Lerena's IBO cruiserweight title, but once again lost, getting knocked out in the sixth round.
In 2023, aged 52, the German former champion fought Edin Puhalo in what was supposed to be his farewell, which he won via knockout. But Arslan couldn't be kept away and returned to the ring in 2024.
Shannon Briggs
Shannon Briggs is one of the heaviest hitters that the heavyweight division has ever seen, across 60 victories had a knockout ratio of 90 per cent and faced some of the best from his era.
Briggs made his professional debut in 1992 and went undefeated in his first 25 fights before a defeat at the hands of Darrol Wilson in 1996.
In 1997 in Atlantic City, Briggs has his first shot at a world title against Lennox Lewis, who outclassed the Brooklyn native and ended the fight in the fifth round with a technical knockout.
After nearly ten years, Briggs would get another shot at a world title, against Siarhei Liakhovich in 2006. He secured the WBO belt with a twelfth-round knockout, having been behind on all three scorecards.
His reign was short-lived, losing the title in his next fight against Sultan Ibragimov.
There was one final chance at world title glory for Briggs, who faced Vitali Klitschko for the WBC title in 2010, but he was beaten on boxing ability over 12 rounds by one half of the Klitschko heavyweight dynasty.
The former WBO champion retreated to small hall shows afterwards and retired in 2016.
Briggs is now 53 and has not fought in nearly ten years but has recently announced he will be returning to the ring as a professional in July against an undecided opponent.
Oliver McCall
Oliver McCall holds the record as the oldest man to win a professional heavyweight fight, at 60. His career has lasted over 40 years, and he has been in 76 fights in that time.
In such a long career, the Chicago-born fighter had the opportunity to share the ring with heavyweight greats such as James 'Buster' Douglas, Tony Tucker, Lennox Lewis and Larry Holmes.
McCall debuted in 1985, with mixed results, losing five fights before challenging for his first world title against Lennox Lewis in 1994.
In the defining moment of his career, McCall knocked out Lewis in the second round to claim the WBC title, defending once before losing it to Frank Bruno the next year.
He would only compete for a world title once more in his career in a rematch with Lennox Lewis that saw him pulled out of the fight in the fifth round.
The former WBC champion continued to fight until 2014 when he retired for the first time, only to return in 2018 and retire again in 2019.
2024 saw McCall return once again at 59, and since then, he has gone undefeated in three fights, with two wins and a draw.
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