Notable fights between veterans

[My2Sense]

What are some notable meetings between two fighters that had each been around for a relatively long time already. Let's say two guys that had "been through the mill" or "been around the block" as they say.

Perhaps they were both of advanced age, or were past or near the end of their peaks, but the fight was still a meaningful one, perhaps a title fight or an eliminator of some kind.

I DON'T want fights that came at the tail end of extended rivalries, such as Ali-Frazier III or Leonard-Hearns II. I want fights between two guys that had never met before, despite perhaps being around each other for a long time.

The best example I can think of is probably Joey Maxim vs. Archie Moore. Maxim was at least 30 and had already been fighting for a long time when he won the title, while Moore's age was somewhere around 40 and had been active since the 1930s.

Another example would be Tony Zale vs. Cerdan. Both guys were over 30, both had been fighting for more than a decade, and both had been prevented from meeting each other much sooner than they should have by the war years.

Other examples:

LaMotta vs. Cerdan
Tommy Gibbons vs. Kid Norfolk, Carpentier
Ken Overlin vs. Ceferino Garcia
Harold Johnson vs. Willie Pastrano
Ike Williams vs. Beau Jack
Jimmy Carter vs. Paddy DeMarco
Joe Brown vs. Bud Smith
Joe Louis vs. Jimmy Bivins
Gus Lesnevich vs. Melio Bettina
Floyd Patterson vs. Eddie Machen, Bonavena
Ken Norton vs. Earnie Shavers

In more recent years...
JC Chavez vs. Whitaker, Randall, Tony Lopez
Lennox Lewis vs. Holyfield & Tyson
Gaby Canizales vs. Happy Lora
Steve Collins vs. Eubank, Benn
Michael Nunn vs. Rocky Rocchigiani
Jr. Jones vs. Canizales, McKinney
Winky Wright vs. Mosley, Tito, Hopkins
Glen Johnson vs. Roy Jones, Tarver
Calzaghe vs. Jones & Hopkins
Pacquiao vs. DeLaHoya


Other examples?

[Expug]

Carlos Palomino fighting Roberto Duran comes to mind.
Roberto had just made the move to welter, but it was a very interesting matchup.

[alexpaterson]

Hector Camacho Sr vs Duran & Leonard

Shane Mosley vs Ricardo Mayorga

Chacon vs Mancini (not old but after Kim fight)

[Jaywheel]

Larry Holmes vs Butterbean
Jones vs Tarver I

[Djanders]

Holyfield - Tyson.

[HomicideHenry]

Gerrie Coetzee vs Iran Barkley

[Ambling Alp]

Here are a few:
Dempsey-Tunney
Britton-Benny Leonard
Tiger-Fullmer
Graziano-Robinson
Giardello-Robinson
Walcott-Charles

Sometimes the reason that two guys didn't fight sooner was because they weren't in the same weight class at the same time.

[I Feel Fine]

Barrera vs. Hamed, Marquez.
Buchanan vs. Ortiz.
Hearns-Duran-Benitez.
Robinson-Basilio.
Tiger-Benvenuti.
Charles-Louis.
Marciano-Charles, Moore.
Ali-Shavers.
Johnson-Jeffries.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Nice thread idea.

[bollox]

Frankie Duarte - Albert Davila fought in 1987, 10 years after their first fight

[Ezzard]

Hearns-Leonard II

[raylawpc]

Joe Louis v. Jersey Joe Walcott comes to mind immediately for me.

[Flump]

More heavyweights:

Mercer-Witherspoon
Bugner - Page/Smith
Dokes - Ferguson
Bruno - Williams
Morrison - Ruddock
Cobb - L.Spinks
L.Spinks - Young Sandford (Fred Houpe)

[My2Sense]

Some more I've thought of:

Jimmy McLarnin vs. Young Corbett
Fred Apostoli vs. Georgie Abrams
Joe Gans vs. Joe Walcott
Freddie Welsh vs. Ad Wolgast, Battling Nelson
Owen Moran vs. Bat Nelson
Billy Petrolle vs. Battling Battalino
Max Baer vs. Tommy Farr, Tony Galento
Jim Braddock vs. Farr
Pete Herman vs. Jimmy Wilde
Kid Kaplan vs. Sammy Mandell
Red Cochrane vs. Fritzie Zivic, Marty Servo
Mickey Walker vs. Sharkey, Schmeling, Rosenbloom
Tiger Jack Fox vs. Lou Brouillard
Fabrice Tiozzo vs. Dariusz M.

[BrocktonBlockbuster49]

The best example I can think of is probably Joey Maxim vs. Archie Moore. Maxim was at least 30 and had already been fighting for a long time when he won the title, while Moore's age was somewhere around 40 and had been active since the 1930s.

Archie was 36 years old

[BrocktonBlockbuster49]

Joe Louis vs Lee Savold is the perfect choice