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Andy, by that token you could have included Babe Ruth, who played for a short time in 1935.
I can truthfully claim to have seen The Pink Floyd play Stowmarket Carnival in 1967 when Roger Barrett was still lead singer, however I was still in the pram so my recollection of the event is somewhat tenuous.
I only added the last lady for our female readers. I myself do not qualify to put him in my lifespan of interest.While the babe Z.was playing golf in the early fifties I believe.She was called babe after the baseball player.Some would put Evon Goolagong in their roster of unforgetable sports women.
Although she has limited world appeal, Mary Peters made a huge impact in this country and she has done more great deeds since she finished competing.
Lillian Board could well have been Britain’s greatest female athlete had she not been taken from us at such an early age. The biography by David Emery is well worth reading though I must warn you that tissues are very much needed.Joe Calzaghe – Beating all he could face, longevity at the top level and doing what only a handful of boxers have ever done, finishing as unbeaten world champ
Please tell me you are joking…..right?
Boxing: Muhammad Ali had everything you would want in a boxer – speed, knockout power, athleticism, and was as tough as they come in a battle.
These three because they operated at a time when sport has become much more professional, therefore harder to dominate:
Golf: Tiger Woods
Tennis: Roger Federer
Football: Zinedine ZidaneJoe Calzaghe – Beating all he could face, longevity at the top level and doing what only a handful of boxers have ever done, finishing as unbeaten world champ
Please tell me you are joking…..right?
No, you can only beat who is there at the time and Ali whilst one of the best heavyweights of all time would not survive as a heavyweight today, he lost fights to people who also lost fights and if it weren’t for dodgy tactics by his trainer could well have lost to Henry Cooper as well.
He was outstanding at his peak but so was Calzaghe and one has a better record.
Nobody could say how Ali would have fared against Johnson, Louis, Tunney, Marciano, etc, it would just be speculation as is the Black Caviar vs Frankel pointless guessing game.
Ring magazine have Ali higher in all-time heavyweight rankings than I do, I’m not sure he would have beat the four I have mentioned at their peaks, or others.
The thing with Ali is that, at one point, he was the most well-known person on the planet. That seems to be a fair measure of greatness.
That is true but that was also due to the publicity he created, does anyone really think Jackson was one of the best singer/songwriter/musicians ever? Johnson in his prime was also equally infamous around the globe.
I didn’t mention Tyson, Lewis or the Klitschkos, could Ali have beaten them at their prime and don’t forget Ali in today’s terms is a blown up cruiserweight, like David Haye and when Cooper floored Ali he was woefully underweight and not many would think Cooper would beat Haye so in your racing form lines, Haye could/should beat Ali…
It’s all totally subjective until the time machine is invented anyway.
Stanley Ketchell against Ali would have been a good match.
I had to google Joe "who?" Montana
Difficult one, what criteria – achievements, talent, fame, etc?
Anyway, my four would be:
Thierry Henry – talent, strike rate, longevity, professionalism and sheer weight of awards won, they don’t give away statues at Arsenal you know
Joe Calzaghe – Beating all he could face, longevity at the top level and doing what only a handful of boxers have ever done, finishing as unbeaten world champ
Ronnie O’Sullivan – unquestionably the greatest natural talent his game has ever seen, ability to do things no opponent can, achievements and winnings while undoubtedly also under-achieving
Phil Taylor – the best at his game ever, twenty years at the top and no sign of stopping, sheer scale of achievements will never be equalled
Can’t have jockeys or racing drivers as the best achievers in those type of events have the help of the best partners.
These are well justified.
You say it’s all totally subjective.That was the whole point of me starting this .Of course its totally subjective. Your four versus my four. Nobody claims otherwise. But it is fun to post your pick.
Joe Calzaghe – Beating all he could face, longevity at the top level and doing what only a handful of boxers have ever done, finishing as unbeaten world champ
Please tell me you are joking…..right?
No, you can only beat who is there at the time and Ali whilst one of the best heavyweights of all time would not survive as a heavyweight today, he lost fights to people who also lost fights and if it weren’t for dodgy tactics by his trainer could well have lost to Henry Cooper as well.
He was outstanding at his peak but so was Calzaghe and one has a better record.
Nobody could say how Ali would have fared against Johnson, Louis, Tunney, Marciano, etc, it would just be speculation as is the Black Caviar vs Frankel pointless guessing game.
Ring magazine have Ali higher in all-time heavyweight rankings than I do, I’m not sure he would have beat the four I have mentioned at their peaks, or others.
Yes you can argue whether Ali would survive as a Heavyweight today. But this thread is about the "Four Greatest sports stars of my lifetime". You pick a boxer and you pick Joe Calzaghe? So he was unbeaten. There are plenty of boxers who were unbeaten but certainly wouldn’t be considered the greatest. Calzaghe is famous for not fighting great fighters…..unless you count waiting until they are past their prime. He’s a typical case of a British fighter mugging off the gullible British supporters who like to think we have world class fighters.
There are plenty of fighters you could debate about as being the greatest, but Joe Calzaghe isn’t one of them….not even close!
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