Can a fighter still thrive and be a force in their forties?

Although it is rude to refer to, much less ask, a woman’s age, a woman’s age tends to be more relevant in some situations than others. In boxing, for example, the age of a fighter, be it man or woman, is always relevant both in terms of their form and how many years they have left giving and receiving punches for a living. 

In the case of Natasha Jonas, who will fight Lauren Price this Friday at the age of 40, much has been made of her age and how long she has left in the sport. At 40, she is quite rightly considered an inspiration to many and has for years now been one of the most popular fighters on the British circuit. Indeed, even against Price, a woman 10 years her junior and a fan favourite in her own right, Jonas, known as “Miss GB”, will be viewed as a popular choice to win. 

And yet, no matter the support, and irrespective of her good run of form, there can be no getting away from Jonas’ age and the fact that few fighters seem to flourish once they go beyond 40. 

“I’m only worried in the respect that I’ve got a woman turning 41 [in June] and she’s still fighting,” said Jonas’ coach Joe Gallagher. “There’s no medical evidence to show me how a woman of 41 still fighting is going to be at the age of 55 or 60. That’s my only concern at the moment.”

Common sense should be enough to know that most boxers do not improve past the age of 40. Yet there is of course the odd exception. Someone like Emiliano Marsili, for instance, was a 47-year-old European champion unbeaten in 44 fights when he finally lost for the first time – via injury – against Gavin Gwynne in December 2023. He had reigned as the lightweight champion of Europe for years and said to me, not long after losing against Gwynne, “Mentally I am better now [at 47], yes. But physically you lose the resistance you had before when you were young. But I am more experienced and calmer now; I take time to make decisions and I am clever.”

Age, then, is as much a blessing as a curse. Like boxing itself, it gives as much as it takes and the wisdom it provides is often offset by a boxer’s desire to stay young and dumb and ignorant just to keep doing what they love to do. Only the strong ones – mental more than physical – know how to count properly and know when to finally stop. Only the strong ones manage to thrive. 

Artur Beterbiev

Age: 40

Record: 21-1 (20)

Thriving or surviving? Until a couple of weeks ago Beterbiev was considered by most to be the number one light-heavyweight in the world and one of the scariest punchers roaming the earth. He then of course lost a rematch against Dmitry Bivol and lost his various light-heavyweight belts in the process. He also lost his unbeaten record that night in Riyadh and will now rebuild and maybe work towards a trilogy fight against Bivol with his air of invincibility gone for good. He remains, however, one of the very best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. Thriving. 

Zhilei Zhang

Age: 41

Record: 27-3-1 (22)

Thriving or surviving? Had this question been asked this time last year the answer would have been unequivocal and unanimously positive. Back then, you see, Zhang had yet to lose to Joseph Parker, let alone Agit Kabayel, and had recently knocked out Joe Joyce in just three rounds. Yet Zhang is, if nothing else, proof that things can change quickly in boxing and that age can catch up to a fighter without either forewarning or sympathy. He may have beaten Deontay Wilder last year, but the loss against Kabayel two weeks ago in Riyadh suggests Zhang is perhaps winding down as a force at the top level. Surviving. 

Derek Chisora

Age: 41

Record: 36-13 (23)

Thriving or surviving? Although he is forever teasing retirement, one gets the sense that Chisora is being pushed that way against his will and that much of his concern these days has to do with what happens when boxing is out of his life. Also, for as long as the Londoner keeps winning, it becomes harder and harder to stop and for Chisora, a man whose career has been of the up-and-down variety, winning has become a habit of late – at maybe the worst time. In fact, he has won his last three fights, including an impressive drubbing of Otto Wallin in February, and seems on his way to another big payday in 2025. Thriving. 

Sergey Kovalev

Age: 41

Record: 35-5-1 (29)

Thriving or surviving? Kovalev, a former world light-heavyweight champion, returned to the sport in 2022 as a cruiserweight and won his first fight at that weight against Tervel Pulev, brother of Kubrat and a man of similar vintage. He then last year landed a payday in Saudi Arabia only to be outpointed over 10 rounds by Robin Sirwan Safar. That appeared to signal the end of Kovalev’s dream of winning another world title, now at cruiserweight, yet he goes again on April 19, this time in Germany against Artur Mann. Surviving. 

Erislandy Lara

Age: 41

Record: 31-3-3 (19)

Thriving or surviving? Cuban southpaw Lara has not lost a fight since 2018 and is currently on a run of six straight wins. Last year he knocked out Michael Zerafa of Australia in two rounds and then he forced Danny Garcia to retire after nine. Both were defences of his WBA middleweight title and all the while he holds on to this belt Lara, who won his first world title back in 2013, will have relevance at 160 pounds. Thriving.

Ismael Barroso

Age: 42

Record: 25-5-2 (23)

Thriving or surviving? Heavy-handed Barroso still packs a punch in his forties, as he showed when he dispatched Britain’s Ohara Davies inside a round a little over 12 months ago. He is, though, as vulnerable as he is destructive these days and last time out, in September, the Venezuelan was broken up in nine rounds by Japan’s Andy Hiraoka. That marked the fourth time Barroso had been stopped in a gruelling career and one wonders how many more he has left in him. Surviving. 

Guillermo Rigondeaux

Age: 44

Record: 23-3 (16)

Thriving or surviving: Though competing nowhere near the level of old, it is hard to argue with Rigondeaux’s recent form, as well as the fact that in even returning to the ring following a pressure cooker exploding in his face, and almost going blind, he is doing more than just surviving. Indeed, with three wins since a loss against Vincent Astrolabio in 2022, Rigondeaux continues to show his technical brilliance, even at 44, and a win over Dannis Aguero Arias in December landed the Cuban a WBC international title at super-bantamweight, which could, who knows, lead to one final world title fight. Thriving. 

Jean Pascal

Age: 42

Record: 37-7-1 (21)

Thriving or surviving? Once the next big thing in the super-middleweight division, Pascal, a former world champion at light-heavyweight, is now a 42-year-old cruiserweight winning regional titles in his native Canada. Last year he beat Terry Osias, undefeated at the time, over 10 rounds, but before that he had lost a 12-rounder against Michael Eifert, which appeared to highlight Pascal’s limitations at this late stage in his career. Surviving. 

Kubrat Pulev

Age: 43

Record: 32-3 (14)

Thriving or surviving? After falling to defeat against fellow veteran Derek Chisora in 2022, it was difficult to see where Pulev, still a hero in Bulgaria, could possibly go. Since then, however, he has won three fights on the trot and in December returned to “world title” action when he fought Mahmoud Charr for the spurious WBA “regular” heavyweight belt. That was a fight Pulev managed to win, too, ensuring the belt stayed in Sofia and his career was resuscitated one final time. Thriving. 

Felix Sturm

Age: 46

Record: 45-6-3 (20)

Thriving or surviving? A former world champion at middleweight, Sturm, at 46, now campaigns as a light-heavyweight and won his last fight, against Benjamin Blindert, by third-round TKO. That was his third straight win, in fact, since losing a 12-round decision against Istvan Szili in 2022, and indicates this comeback of Sturm’s has one final run in it. Even so, it is unlikely to take the German anywhere near the heights of old. Surviving. 

Katsunari Takayama

Age: 41

Record: 35-9 (12)

Thriving or surviving? If you think it’s tough being a fortysomething heavyweight, spare a thought for the little guys like Katsunari Takayama, who continue making weight at an age when it becomes increasingly difficult to shed those final few pounds. Takayama, in fact, is still hitting the same 105-pound mark he did back when he was an IBF and WBO world champion at minimumweight and in December managed to win an IBO belt at that weight when outpointing Kha Lu in the Philippines. Thriving. 

Viktor Postol

Age: 41

Record: 32-5 (12)

Thriving or surviving? Ukraine’s Viktor Postol was not happy for his career to finish on three straight losses – against Jose Ramirez, Gary Antuanne Russell, and Elvis Rodriguez – and therefore returned to his homeland in January at the age of 41 to outpoint Andres Ramon Tejada over eight rounds. It is not yet known whether that win will now spark a flurry of activity for the former world super-lightweight champion or whether it was just a preferable note on which to go out. Surviving. 

Delfine Persoon

Age: 40

Record: 49-3 (19)

Thriving or surviving? All-action Persoon, who still throws every punch like it’s her last, has not lost a fight since pushing Katie Taylor all the way in August 2020. Since then, she has won numerous times in her native Belgium, as well as a couple of times in Saudi Arabia, and was last year in Atlanta giving Alycia Baumgardner, the world super-featherweight champion, a headache or two before the fight was halted in round four and declared a No Contest due to a clash of heads. Thriving. 

Mickey Bey

Age: 41

Record: 25-3-1 (13)

Thriving or surviving? Appropriately known as “Time Machine”, Bey is a former IBF lightweight champion who decided to get busy again in 2023. That followed a loss against George Kambosos in 2019, as well as a global pandemic, and Bey, since returning, has so far been content to test himself against a couple of Mexican journeymen in Mexico, with neither of the fights telling us much about his ambition. His next fight, which takes place this weekend against Angel Pillado, another Mexican, will at least see Bey go up against an opponent with a winning record. Surviving. 

Cecilia Braekhus

Age: 43

Record: 38-2-1 (9)

Thriving or surviving? Once Braekhus’s long unbeaten run came to an end against Jessica McCaskill in 2020, many felt it would be the start of the Norwegian’s decline. This belief was then only strengthened when Braekhus lost to McCaskill for a second time the following year. Since then, however, she has drawn against Terri Harper in a WBO title fight at super-welterweight and in October beat Maricela Cornejo to win the interim WBC title at that same weight. So while it’s conceivable that her best days are behind her, Braekhus, a champion with a rich history of winning, clearly isn’t finished just yet. Thriving.