Boxing’s most unbreakable records feature staggering Floyd Mayweather PPV buys and oldest world champion ever

   

Some records are meant to be broken, others are not.

No more does that sentiment ring true than in boxing - a sport that continues to rapidly evolve.

Boxing is an unpredictable sport but it's safe to say that most of these records won't get broken

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Boxing is an unpredictable sport but it's safe to say that most of these records won't get brokenCredit: GETTY

In the space of 60 years, world title fights have moved from 15 to 12 rounds, the 10-point scoring system has been introduced, and our understanding of the long-term neurological effects of the sport has developed drastically.

It is therefore unsurprising that there are several records that are either impossible or, at the very least, incredibly unlikely to be broken.

Here, talkSPORT.com takes a look at five of those.

Most PPV buys - Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao - 4.6million

It seems inconceivable that the pay-per-view buy rate for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao's long-awaited super fight will ever be topped given the rise in illegal streaming.

That night 4.6million households in the United States alone tuned in to watch Mayweather and Pacquiao lock horns in 2015, generating over $410million in revenue.

The broadcast of the fight in Pacquiao's home country of the Philippines was watched by nearly half of the nation, while the pay-per-view buy rate for the rest of the world has never been disclosed.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. exchange punches with Manny Pacquiao during their welterweight unification championship bout, May 2, 2015 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Mayweather defeated Pacquiao by unanimous decision.  AFP PHOTO / JOHN GURZINKSI        (Photo credit should read JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

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Mayweather vs Pacquiao did massive numbers in the USCredit: GETTY

Biggest weight jump - Marty Kayes - 14 divisions

Irish journeyman Marty Kayes set one of the most bizarre world records last July when he made his debut at heavyweight (200lbs plus/14.2 stone plus) after starting his pro career at flyweight (112lbs/8 stone) in the early 2000s.

Kayes, who stands at 5ft 5in tall, tipped the scales at 203.25lbs (14.5 stone) for his bout against Englishman Mike Hadley in the German spa town of Baden-Baden - 14 weight classes above where he started his career.

He sat down with talkSPORT.com the weekend after he set the record for the biggest jump up in weight by a professional boxer to reveal how he piled on the timber: "There are a lot of nutritionists who told me it can't be done, but my local kebab shop had other ideas.

"They got the weight on me no problem at all... A lot of the weight was false weight. Rumour has it I was wearing a 15kg (33lbs/2.3 stone) vest under my top at the weigh-in. But that cannot be confirmed or denied."

Remarkably, Kayes took his far bigger foe the distance to lose on points.

Kayes went from flyweight (right) to heavyweight (left)

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Kayes went from flyweight (right) to heavyweight (left)Credit: Marty Kayes

Largest age gap - Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson - 31 years

Jake Paul and Mike Tyson's controversial crossover clash last November broke several records, including the highest-grossing gate for a combat sports event outside of Las Vegas ($18.1m).

But the most unbreakable, and saddest, of all was the staggering 31-year age gap between the pair.

Tyson had recently celebrated his 58th birthday when he took to the ring while Paul was in his physical prime at 27.

The age discrepancy surpassed the previous record of 24 years set in 1963 when 49-year-old Archie Moore and 25-year-old Mike DiBiase met in 'The Old Mongoose's' swansong fight.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 15: (L-R) Jake Paul and Mike Tyson fight during LIVE On Netflix: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on November 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)

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Paul fought Tyson when he was 58 years oldCredit: GETTY

Most fights - Len Wickwar - 473

Len Wickwar stepped between the ropes a remarkable 473 times during a prolific career stretching from 1928 to 1947.

The Leicester lightweight amassed an extraordinary record of 342 wins, 86 losses, 43 draws and 2 no contests, completing 4,020 rounds in the process.

He only ever won a BBBofC Midlands Area title as a pro, but the changes to fighter safety and the reduction in modern boxers' total career fights mean his gruelling feat will likely remain in the annals of boxing history for eternity.

Oldest world champion - Bernard Hopkins - 49 years, 297 days old

The ageless wonder Bernard Hopkins first broke the record for the oldest world champion of all time when he snatched the WBC light heavyweight title away from Jean Pascal in 2011 at 46.

Two years later, he managed to extend his own record by getting his hands on the IBF's version of the 175lbs strap with a win over Tavoris Cloud.

He then unified the WBA belt against Beibut Shumenov in 2014 before dropping both of his titles to Sergey Kovalev when he attempted to add the Russian's WBO strap to his collection.

Hopkins was 49 years and 297 days old on the last day of his reign.

Hopkins held onto his light heavyweight titles till he was 49