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Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke returned to the boxing ring Friday at the age of 62, defeating a fighter less than half his age in an exhibition bout. Rourke sent 29-year-old fighter Elliot Seymour, from California, to the canvas twice in the second round before the referee stopped the fight. The bout at a Moscow concert hall was Rourke's first fight in 20 years. During his three-year professional boxing career in the 1990s, he notched up six wins and two draws. He took to the ring in a Stetson hat, a red-and-gold robe and shiny gold gloves. Rourke, who had said he lost 2.5 stone to prepare to the fight, was much thinner than in his best-known cinematic fighting persona, when he bulked up to play the title character in 2008's “The Wrestler.“ His shorts bore his ring nickname from the 1990s, Marielito, and had “always handsome“ written in Spanish on the back. The fight was held at a pedestrian pace, with both Rourke and Seymour frequently backing away from one another and letting down their guard. Rourke's final punch struck the stumbling Seymour on the buttocks and the 29-year-old went down to all fours until the referee stopped the contest. Seymour, a former California Golden Gloves champion with a 1-9 pro record, did not land any significant blows on Rourke, whose previous boxing career left him with injuries that he has previously said necessitated extensive plastic surgery to his face. Rourke has said he plans to hold another four fights in Russia, telling journalists that would not fight anywhere else. “They appreciate me here,“ he said. Get the latest headlines Subscribe to The Telegraph Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Google and are websites of The Daily Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.
