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‘Michael Bloody Phelps!’: Top 5 Greatest Athletes of All Time List Slammed for Not Naming Tiger Woods, Floyd Mayweather & More

Published 09/10/2022, 3:45 PM EDT

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Floyd Mayweather is regarded as one of the best boxers to ever step foot into the ring. The former 5-division champ’s 50-0 record is one of the most storied in boxing along with his many other accomplishments in the ring. Moreover, it could be argued that his impact on the sport’s financial success will never be replicated by another boxer.

This is why many fans and sports publications have him on the list of the top 5 athletes across all sports. However, there was one list that was criticized for not including ‘Money’ and other deserving athletes like Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods.

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Moreover, the list included Serena Williams, Tom Brady, Babe Ruth, and Muhammad Ali with NBA legend Michael Jordan taking the top spot. One fan stated that the list was biased towards American athletes, as all the players on the list were American.

 

Following this senior football writer and sports reporter for the National World, Martyn Simpson called out the list for its seemingly biased views. He stated that the athletes included weren’t even the best athletes in the United States. He also listed some athletes who could be put on the list, including Michael Phelps, Floyd Mayweather, and Tiger Woods.

“Not even the top five greatest American athletes of all time..Tiger Woods? Floyd Mayweather Jr?… Michael bloody Phelps!”. wrote Simpson.

These types of lists are very hard to make since the pool of great athletes has become so large. Moreover, there are no fixed parameters to determine the greatness of an athlete, thus these lists are often subjective.

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However, It is important to report in an objective manner, putting aside personal bias when reporting on such topics.

How good was Floyd Mayweather as a boxer?

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Mayweather was a master technician who relied on his defensive prowess rather than swinging for the fences. He used his incredible speed and ring IQ, combined with his defense, to bait opponents and unleash high-paced counterattacks. Moreover, he has victories over some of boxing’s biggest names, including Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez, and Oscar De La Hoya.

USA Today via Reuters

However, he is not the perfect fighter and has his flaws as well. Mayweather is a skilled boxer, but his undefeated record can be very misleading. On the surface, it would appear that he was unstoppable, but he was very skilled at cherry-picking opponents and not fighting them at their best. The most notable example of this is Canelo Alvarez, who Mayweather fought in 2013 when Alvarez was just 23 years old.

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Written by:

Sahil Sood

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Sahil Sood is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication, and holds a keen interest in the 'sweet science'. His journey towards following boxing began when he first saw the highlights of Mike Tyson as a teenager, and then closely followed the rise of Floyd Mayweather.
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Edited by:

Paras Pande