Time is undefeated, but Venus Williams and Manny Pacquiao display how athletes can age gracefully

Eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao used ring I.Q. and boxing geometry to overcome height and reach deficits in his title fight against Mario Barrios, earning a controversial draw against a bigger, stronger, harder-hitting opponent.

And if you think we're re-heating headlines from the Pac Man's late-2000s heyday, think again. That bout happened last Saturday in Las Vegas. Barrios, the World Boxing Council welterweight champion, is 30. Pacquiao, who last fought in August 2021, will be 47 in December. If he had edged out one more round on two judges' scorecards, he'd have become the first boxer in history to win world titles in four different decades. Even if he didn't defeat Barrios, Pacquiao earned a victory over age and expectations.

Three days later Venus Williams, 45, ended two year layoff from pro tennis, entered the D.C. Open as a wildcard, and dispatched Peyton Stearns, a player roughly half her age, to reach the round of 16. 

These back-to-back triumphs for 80s babies offer more than a glimmer of hope for those of us old enough to wake up with aches we can't explain. They're more like a beacon, and a compelling argument against one of the most rock-solid axioms in sport and life. If time really is undefeated, how do you explain this weekend?

Easily.

But if we look at Pacquiao and Williams' performances as self-awareness success stories, and case studies in the value of choosing your opportunities wisely, we might learn something from these last few days.

First, let's acknowledge that Pacquiao and Williams defied recent sports medicine trends just by reaching the arena in one piece. We just finished watching an NBA Playoffs in which two star players younger than age 30 – Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson