A 44-year-old sent him home from the US in May with his tail between his legs, but last night John Hopoate got the better of another old man, Bob Mirovic, to retain his Australian heavyweight title.
In his first fight since Oliver McCall stopped him in the second round in Las Vegas, Hopoate was too powerful for his rival 43-year-old Mirovic, winning the ten-round battle by a unanimous points decision at the AIS Arena in Canberra.
''Even though I think he should be retired, because he's too old ... he put in a really good fight and a tough one. He went 10 rounds, so well done,'' Hopoate said.
Unlike their bitterly disputed encounter, won by Hopoate last September, there was no excuses from the vanquished Mirovic, who said he would take some time off but would return to ring at least one more time.
''There's no excuses, he beat me fair and square,'' Mirovic said.
''I've got a lot of respect for John Hopoate, he's as strong as an ox ... I think he's stronger than Mike Tyson.''
More on the fight in today's Canberra Times