Albert Hughes became the oldest professional boxer to win a fight years after he passed away.
Many thought Mike Tyson had the chance to become the oldest professional boxer to win a fight when he clashed with Jake Paul in November. But it turns out the record was set years ago by a Vietnam War veteran.
Albert Hughes Jr., at age 70, became the oldest boxer to win a professional bout after an absence from the sport of over 30 years. He stepped into the ring on December 14th, 2019 in a fight sanctioned by the Indiana State Athletic Commission.
Hughes Jr. would fight in the same venue he won the Indiana Golden Gloves championship 45 years before. His opponent, 43-year-old Tramane Towns, entered the ring with zero wins and six losses.
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70-year-old Albert Hughes collapsed opponent to set impressive record
After a back-and-forth opening round, Hughes Jr. sealed the deal by collapsing Towns with a couple of clean punches in Round 2. Towns didn’t make it back to his feet and the fight was ruled in Hughes Jr.’s favor to set the record for the oldest professional boxer to win.
Hughes Jr. competed in honor of his fallen son, Albert Hughes III, who passed away years before the bout. Hughes Jr.’s entire family, including his son’s ashes, were ringside for his historic milestone.
Hughes Jr.’s daughter, Amanda, submitted the fight result to the Guinness Book of World Records after the event. But unfortunately, Hughes Jr. passed away due to undisclosed health issues just months later.
Hughes Jr.’s final message to his family was that he wanted to set the record for the oldest-winning professional boxer. After he died, Hughes Jr. had his dream become a reality.
Albert Hughes Jr. was a Vietnam War veteran
Hughes Jr.’s professional boxing record was 11-7-4 after the record-breaking result was made official. Before that, he hadn’t competed since 1983.
“His dying breath was he didn’t know if he was going to get that record,” Amanda told the IndyStar. “He tried to hold on. He tried. But he couldn’t. He died thinking he wasn’t going to win this.”
Luckily, Hughes Jr. is cemented in boxing history as the oldest professional boxer to get his hand raised in the ring. It’s a record that may never be broken and the Hughes family deserves to be celebrated after Hughes Jr. achieved the historic milestone.