Bob Fitzsimmons became boxing's first three-weight world champion when he out-pointed George Gardner on this day in 1903.
What was more remarkable was that the Cornwall-born boxer was 40 years old.
Fitzsimmons, who moved with his family from England to New Zealand aged 11, had previously held the middleweight and heavyweights world titles.
Despite being 14 years older than Irish-born Gardner, Fitzsimmons floored his opponent four times en route to a 20-round points win at the Mechanic's Pavilion in San Francisco.
This win was not only testament to Fitzsimmons' longevity, but also underlined his status as one of boxing history's best pound-for-pound pugilists. He was one of the earliest boxers to be described as 'scientific' for his placing of punches and was renowned for his debilitating body shots.
But Fitzsimmons did not exactly fit the image of an elite athlete in any era. He was bald, freckled, with spindly legs and known as Ruby Robert or The Freckled Freak.
Fitzsimmons arrived in America aged 28 in 1890 after five years boxing in Australia under the tuition of Jem Mace -- twice England's bare knuckle champion in the 1860s who left for the New World after retiring from boxing in 1871 -- and his pupil Larry Foley.
A year after arriving in America, Fitzsimmons shot to fame when he upset the odds and beat 'Nonpareil' Jack Dempsey for the world middleweight title.
Fitzsimmons stepped up to heavyweight to win the world title from Jim Corbett in 1897. But after two knockout defeats to Gentleman Jim Jeffries in world heavyweight title fights, Fitzsimmons reinvented himself in the new light-heavyweight division.
After beating Gardner, Fitzsimmons lost the world light-heavyweight title when he was knocked out in the 13th round of a first defence to Philadelphia Jack O'Brien in 1905.
There were just five more official bouts on Fitzsimmons' record, including a knockout defeat to Jack Johnson a year before he became the first black world heavyweight champion.
Fitzsimmons died of pneumonia in 1917, three years after his last fight and only 14 years after he became a three-weight world champion.
He remained Britain's first and only undisputed world heavyweight champion until Lennox Lewis unified the belts in 1999.
Only two other British boxers have managed to win world titles in three weight divisions since -- Duke McKenzie and Ricky Burns.