The Greatest Athlete Ever.

Rooney24 said:
If I was English, or even a Ricky hatton fan that would be a great comeback.

Unlucky.
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That's fair I actually quite like Hatton, but as I was drunk as a skunk I went fecking nuts when his fans started booing the American national anthem, also found it funny how a lot of people thought Hatton was gonna win:lol: He isnt in the Pretty Boy's class no one is, fair play to Hatton though a lesser boxer would have been out cold far earlier
 
Alex said:
That's fair I actually quite like Hatton, but as I was drunk as a skunk I went fecking nuts when his fans started booing the American national anthem, also found it funny how a lot of people thought Hatton was gonna win:lol: He isnt in the Pretty Boy's class no one is, fair play to Hatton though a lesser boxer would have been out cold far earlier
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Its the hype that creates the expectation. Mayweather is in a league of his own - Hatton only fights whats put in front of him whilst Mayweather goes after the so-called "pound-for-pound" fighters.

I dont like Mayweather that much, but my goodness can he fight - he gave Hatton a masterclass in talking-the-tallk & walkin-the-walk!
 
MrMarcello said:
You mean like baseball, hockey, and basketball, as well as the likes of golf, tennis, track, boxing, etc. :rolleyes:
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:lol:

This is a typical yank view, just because you are good at it must mean you created it!

I think Jamaica and Kenya own the track now.
 
Red Hand Devil said:
Its the hype that creates the expectation. Mayweather is in a league of his own - Hatton only fights whats put in front of him whilst Mayweather goes after the so-called "pound-for-pound" fighters.

I dont like Mayweather that much, but my goodness can he fight - he gave Hatton a masterclass in talking-the-tallk & walkin-the-walk!
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This couldn't be further from the truth, were this true Mayweather would have fought Kosta Tszyu in his prime or Cotto and Margarito before he retired, as opposed to his fights being set around "business decisions".
Mayweather is a excellent fighter but IMO he will never be held in he same regard a SR Robinson,Leonard , Duran, Hagler etc.

As for his fight with Hatton he was always going to win as Hatton was simply out of his depth at welterweight, you only have to watch his fights before hand to realise this, he struggled against decent opposition in Luis Collazo and probably should have lost.

Any hope for Hatton in beating Mayweather was just that, hope! and it was good business sense by Mayweather taking the fight.
 
starman said:
This couldn't be further from the truth, were this true Mayweather would have fought Kosta Tszyu in his prime or Cotto and Margarito before he retired, as opposed to his fights being set around "business decisions".
Mayweather is a excellent fighter but IMO he will never be held in he same regard a SR Robinson,Leonard , Duran, Hagler etc.

As for his fight with Hatton he was always going to win as Hatton was simply out of his depth at welterweight, you only have to watch his fights before hand to realise this, he struggled against decent opposition in Luis Collazo and probably should have lost.

Any hope for Hatton in beating Mayweather was just that, hope! and it was good business sense by Mayweather taking the fight.
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Mayweathers the best pound-for-pound boxer & that's been recognised by most!

Look at his stats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Mayweather_Jr.

No-one's calling Mayweather a legend or anything like that, but he's the best around at the mo in my opinion.

Calzaghe's another top boxer but he just hasnt fought enough outside Wales nor has he fought the best out there either - he's fantastic to watch though as is Khan!
 
Red Hand Devil said:
Mayweathers the best pound-for-pound boxer & that's been recognised by most!

Look at his stats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Mayweather_Jr.

No-one's calling Mayweather a legend or anything like that, but he's the best around at the mo in my opinion.

Calzaghe's another top boxer but he just hasnt fought enough outside Wales nor has he fought the best out there either - he's fantastic to watch though as is Khan!
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I am aware of this, but I am just referring to your point in which Mayweather goes after the best pound for pound fighters which is not the case.
If you indeed look at his stats over the last 2 or 3 years he has not been fighting the cream of the crop, sure he did enough to get to the top but IMO I don't think he didn't enough to stay there, in fact Manny Paciquiao, who is now no 1 after Mayweather retired should have knocked him off over this time, but that just my opinion against others.

I agree with your point about Calzaghe and also Khan, but reckon his chin might not be good enough when he steps up against the bigger hits, though we'll find out tomorrow.
 
I thought someone was going to put in Michael Owen haha
 
Federer
Nadal
Messi
Ronaldo
Bolt
Phelps
Bryant
Woods
Pacman

would be the nominees for the greatest living athlete right now I'd say.
 
Federer is obviously in a shout... if some considered the likes of Sampras and Agassi, there's no question Fed is up there.
 
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Hanley Ramirez
Sidney Crosby
Alexander Ovechkin
Adrian Peterson
Cristiano Ronaldo
Roger Federer
Tiger Woods
Michael Phelps
 
Anderson Searl said:
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Hanley Ramirez
Sidney Crosby
Alexander Ovechkin
Adrian Peterson
Cristiano Ronaldo
Roger Federer
Tiger Woods
Michael Phelps
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:lol:

What is that a list of athletes that Searl likes
 
Federer and Sachin are the greatest i've seen. Woods is an obvious one but i've never cared for golf.
 
Greatest Sportsmen since 1990 (in somewhat correct order)

1) Roger Federer - Tennis
2) Lance Armstrong - Cycling
3) Tiger Woods - Golf
4) Michael Phelps - Swimming
5) Michael Schumacher - Motorsports
6) Michael Jordan - Basketball
7) Sachin Tendulkar - Cricket
8) Zinedine Zidane - Football
9) Barry Bonds - Baseball
10) Jehangir Khan - Squash

Please don't desecrate such a list by adding people like Nadal, Ronaldo or Bolt, who in comparison are but mere mortals. And any 'greatest living athlete' list is incomplete without Ali.
 
arjwiz said:
Greatest Sportsmen since 1990 (in somewhat correct order)

1) Roger Federer - Tennis
2) Lance Armstrong - Cycling
3) Tiger Woods - Golf
4) Michael Phelps - Swimming
5) Michael Schumacher - Motorsports
6) Michael Jordan - Basketball
7) Sachin Tendulkar - Cricket
8) Zinedine Zidane - Football
9) Barry Bonds - Baseball
10) Jehangir Khan - Squash

Please don't desecrate such a list by adding people like Nadal, Ronaldo or Bolt, who in comparison are but mere mortals. And any 'greatest living athlete' list is incomplete without Ali.
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Cricketers, golfers and possibly baseballers are hardly 'athletes'. A case can be made for fast bowlers, though. And Ali's the greatest athelete and sportsman of them all. He just has to be.
 
Barry Bonds? Yeah if you like your sportsmen roided to the eyeballs.
 
Spoony! said:
Cricketers, golfers and possibly baseballers are hardly 'athletes'.
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Yup, agreed. Though my post was about the greatest sportsman. And I was refering to PSmith's post a little earlier about the greatest living athlete - I have to say that's not a very good list, no offense!
 
Spoony! said:
Cricketers, golfers and possibly baseballers are hardly 'athletes'. A case can be made for fast bowlers, though. And Ali's the greatest athelete and sportsman of them all. He just has to be.
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If it's sportsman then they should be included.
 
Just had a quick scan through this thread. Surprisingly Federer wasnt suggested once.....
 
Rooney24 said:
Just had a quick scan through this thread. Surprisingly Federer wasnt suggested once.....
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And with good reason. Polydamas or Milo would kill him in a couple of seconds. What's he do to make him greatest? Hit a tiny ball with a net tied to elaborately designed wood?
 
arjwiz said:
Greatest Sportsmen since 1990 (in somewhat correct order)



9) Barry Bonds - Baseball
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Just one name and your list is shit. I'd actually have Nadal at number 1. Watching that final today it the main thing that struck me was how many free points both players got on serve. Not just aces, but serves that their opponent may have got a racket on but were unplayable nevertheless. Rafa doesn't have a serve like that, he rarely has free points. Every game is a grind and ultimately if he'd been fit he'd have pissed it this year.
 
To take regular beatings from killers like Joe Frazier and George Foreman and still be crowned as the best ever through that generation of boxers, greatest athlete has to be Muhammad Ali.
 
Nearco said:
Just one name and your list is shit. I'd actually have Nadal at number 1. Watching that final today it the main thing that struck me was how many free points both players got on serve. Not just aces, but serves that their opponent may have got a racket on but were unplayable nevertheless. Rafa doesn't have a serve like that, he rarely has free points. Every game is a grind and ultimately if he'd been fit he'd have pissed it this year.
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:lol:

You like Nadal don't you
 
Dumpstar said:
To take regular beatings from killers like Joe Frazier and George Foreman and still be crowned as the best ever through that generation of boxers, greatest athlete has to be Muhammad Ali.
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He's not even the best boxer in history, never mind the best athlete.

Mayweather and Pacquiao are both probably better at the sport of boxing.
 
rednev said:
He's not even the best boxer in history, never mind the best athlete.

Mayweather and Pacquiao are both probably better at the sport of boxing.
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Arguable and debateable. But that's the fun of it all I guess.
 
rednev said:
He's not even the best boxer in history, never mind the best athlete.

Mayweather and Pacquiao are both probably better at the sport of boxing.
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Aren't these people in different weight class though? How can they be better than Ali when heavy weight rules all in my opinion. I don't see, how, for example, a light weight can be the best boxer ever.
 
Nistelrooy10 said:
Aren't these people in different weight class though? How can they be better than Ali when heavy weight rules all in my opinion. I don't see, how, for example, a light weight can be the best boxer ever.
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I take it you're not into boxing?

A higher weight class does not equate to being a better boxer. If you were to ask people heavily involved in the sport to compile a list of the top 10 boxers they have ever seen, probably only 2 or 3 heavyweights would make it.

Boxing is a sport of skill first and foremost. Skill is used much less in the heavier divisions. There were some good heavyweights around in the 90s (Tyson is my favourite ever fighter), but the current crop of heavyweights are not much to watch.
 
I think the weight class argument does carry some credence though, considering a heavyweight would knock the shit out of a lower class. It's certainly not and end all be all, but if Mayweather was a heavyweiht he would be widely regarded as the best all time atm probably.
 
arjwiz said:
Yup, agreed. Though my post was about the greatest sportsman. And I was refering to PSmith's post a little earlier about the greatest living athlete - I have to say that's not a very good list, no offense!
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Eh? That list was obviously the greatest athletes right now. I should've said greatest athletes performing now. Bolt, Nadal and Ronaldo all deserve to be included.

Tendulkar is immensely talented but hardly a athlete. It would be like including Phil Taylor or Ronnie OSullivan in the list.
 
rednev said:
I take it you're not into boxing?

A higher weight class does not equate to being a better boxer. If you were to ask people heavily involved in the sport to compile a list of the top 10 boxers they have ever seen, probably only 2 or 3 heavyweights would make it.

Boxing is a sport of skill first and foremost. Skill is used much less in the heavier divisions. There were some good heavyweights around in the 90s (Tyson is my favourite ever fighter), but the current crop of heavyweights are not much to watch.
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I'm not into it, true. But my logic stems from my opinion that if a boxer can't beat the heavyweight, he's not the best boxer ever. If you're not the best boxer ever, how can you be the best athlete ever?

For example, I don't see how Tyson or Ali would lose to someone in lower weight categories, when they were all in their prime.

It's all a matter of opinion though, I know my "logic" might be a bit unfair. If you regard skill and pound for pound as more important, then sure. It's sort of like why a right back will never be the best player of all time. It's always an attacker, like Maradona, Ronaldo, Pele, etc...
 
Nistelrooy10 said:
I'm not into it, true. But my logic stems from my opinion that if a boxer can't beat the heavyweight, he's not the best boxer ever. If you're not the best boxer ever, how can you be the best athlete ever?

For example, I don't see how Tyson or Ali would lose to someone in lower weight categories, when they were all in their prime.

It's all a matter of opinion though, I know my "logic" might be a bit unfair. If you regard skill and pound for pound as more important, then sure. It's sort of like why a right back will never be the best player of all time. It's always an attacker, like Maradona, Ronaldo, Pele, etc...
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Of course heavyweights would beat boxers from lower weights, but it does not make them better. Fighting sports are different from other sports in that way. Put it this way, if Manny Pacquiao, one of the all-time greats, was to go in the ring with the 78th best heavyweight in Birmingham (purely random), the heavyweight would win. Feck, even an amateur heavyweight that's only been boxing a few months would probably win. It doesn't mean that they would be better boxers. The whole point of the weight classes is to allow lighter boxers to compete.

The same applies with martial arts.
 
arjwiz said:
Greatest Sportsmen since 1990 (in somewhat correct order)

1) Roger Federer - Tennis
2) Lance Armstrong - Cycling
3) Tiger Woods - Golf
4) Michael Phelps - Swimming
5) Michael Schumacher - Motorsports
6) Michael Jordan - Basketball
7) Sachin Tendulkar - Cricket
8) Zinedine Zidane - Football
9) Barry Bonds - Baseball
10) Jehangir Khan - Squash

Please don't desecrate such a list by adding people like Nadal, Ronaldo or Bolt, who in comparison are but mere mortals. And any 'greatest living athlete' list is incomplete without Ali.
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I would argue for Rossi over Shumacher.
 
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