BoxRec

Please review the list below and make any corrections, comments, additions, etc. as necessary...

OLDEST LIVING WORLD CHAMPIONS AS OF JANUARY 1, 2023

NAME DATE of BIRTH COUNTRY WEIGHT

HAROLD GOMES 08/22/1933 USA 130
FREDDIE LITTLE 04/25/1936 USA 154
NINO BENVENUTI 04/26/1938 ITALY 154 / 160
LUIS ESTABA 08/13/1938 VENEZUELA 108
PAUL TAKESHI FUJII 07/06/1940 USA / JAPAN 140
ROBERTO CRUZ 11/21/1941 PHILIPPINES 140
BRUNO ARCARI 01/01/1942 ITALY 140
BILLY BACKUS 03/05/1943 USA 147
JOSE LEGRA 03/19/1943 CUBA / SPAIN 126
MASAHIKO 'FIGHTING' HARADA 04/05/1943 JAPAN 112, 118
KOICHI WAJIMA 04/21/1943 JAPAN 154
ISMAEL LAGUNA 06/28/1943 PANAMA 135
RENE BARRIENTOS 07/25/1943 PHILIPPINES 130
HIROSHI KOBAYASHI 08/23/1944 JAPAN 130
ERUBEY 'CHANGO' CARMONA 09/29/1944 MEXICO 135
MIGUEL VELAZQUEZ 12/27/1944 SPAIN 140
RAFAEL HERRERA 01/07/1945 MEXICO 118
YOSHIAKI NUMATA 04/19/1945 JAPAN 130
KEN BUCHANAN 06/28/1945 SCOTLAND 135
ANTONIO GOMEZ 09/07/1945 VENEZUELA 126
JOSE DURAN 10/09/1945 SPAIN 154
RODOLFO GONZALEZ 12/16/1945 MEXICO 135
ANTONIO CERVANTES 12/23/1945 COLOMBIA 140
ERBITO SALAVARRIA 01/20/1946 PHILIPPINES 112
RUBEN OLIVARES 01/14/1947 MEXICO 118, 126
SUSUMU HANAGATA 01/21/1947 JAPAN 112
SHOZO SAIJO 01/28/1947 JAPAN 126
FRANCO UDELLA 02/25/1947 ITALY 108
KUNIAKI SHIBATA 03/29/1947 JAPAN 126, 130
ENRIQUE PINDER 08/07/1947 PANAMA 118
ALFONSO FRAZER 01/04/1948 PANAMA 140
MIGUEL CANTO 01/30/1948 MEXICO 112
ANGEL ESPADA 02/02/1948 PUERTO RICO 147
YUH JAE-DO 04/25/1948 SOUTH KOREA 154
JIM WATT 07/18/1948 SCOTLAND 135
GEORGE FOREMAN 01/10/1949 USA HEA
ISHIMATSU 'GATTU' SUZUKI 06/05/1949 JAPAN 135
CARLOS PALOMINO 08/10/1949 USA 147
CLAUDE NOEL 08/22/1949 TRINIDAD 135
YASUTSUNE UEHARA 10/12/1949 JAPAN 130
BETULIO GONZALEZ 10/24/1949 VENEZUELA 112
LARRY HOLMES 11/03/1949 USA HEA

no heavier guys, one at middle (benvenuti), not one above xcept larry.

...and George Foreman.

So much information. I think you should make a table for more clarity and detail.

who are the oldest living pro fighters who fought for a title ?

Ken Buchanan passed earlier this year.

bennie wrote: ↑07 Dec 2023, 05:29 Ken Buchanan passed earlier this year.

This list was 3 months before Ken Buchanan passed away this past April, so they should update before the end of this year.

I believe Claude Noel passed away also.

from 2005
( kind of unsettling, if you think about it now ,them all walking down a path)

I think that Ismael Laguna was born in July 28th, 1943 and not June 28th. He and Ken Buchanan were born in the same date but in different years. Buchanan was born in 1945.

scorpio83 wrote: ↑07 Dec 2023, 11:18

bennie wrote: ↑07 Dec 2023, 05:29 Ken Buchanan passed earlier this year.

This list was 3 months before Ken Buchanan passed away this past April, so they should update before the end of this year.

Yeah, just thought I'd mention it. Great list by Bob. Every fighter adds something to the list, even those who can never be labelled great world champions. Franco Udella won his world title on a disqualifion but he came here in 1979 and took Charlie Magri the full 12 rounds - and Charlie could really whack. Spain's Miguel Velazquez, another man fortunate to win a world title, holds a win over Ken Buchanan.

New to boxing.rec & just spotted this discussion. I have some video footage of Ken Buchanan vs Johnny Claydon @ East London's Ilford Palais, 1983. Branded 'unofficial' fights by the uk press, the 5 fights show a great slice of 1980s boxing. I have restored from video, so not amazing quality, but the atmosphere is! My interest is that my dad was ref Terry Sharp & my brother was Jack Sharp pro 1980s welter/middle weight. Let me know if I can post the youtube link here?

2336761 wrote: ↑12 Feb 2026, 07:34 New to boxing.rec & just spotted this discussion. I have some video footage of Ken Buchanan vs Johnny Claydon @ East London's Ilford Palais, 1983. Branded 'unofficial' fights by the uk press, the 5 fights show a great slice of 1980s boxing. I have restored from video, so not amazing quality, but the atmosphere is! My interest is that my dad was ref Terry Sharp & my brother was Jack Sharp pro 1980s welter/middle weight. Let me know if I can post the youtube link here?

It was probably unfortunate that Ken went down the unlicenced route but he picked up a few decent paydays (to clear a debt) and stopped the likes of Jimmy Revie and the gutsy Claydon, who held a cuts win over Jim Watt. I found the show on youtube (thanks to your prompt) and enjoyed the action. Billy Baggott, Keith Bussey, Roy Shaw at ringside, Terry Downes, Joey Singleton, Larry Paul, Tommy Buchanan...a real blast from the past. Thanks again for the prompt.

2336761 wrote: ↑12 Feb 2026, 07:34 New to boxing.rec

Hello.

Good to hear you enjoyed the video Bennie. Thank you for your interesting comments too! to keithmoonhangover