is Usain Bolt a top 5 athlete of all time?

[PistonsFan#21]

Has anyone else dominated in their sport the same way he did in his? He probably wont get as much props as some other guys because track events are not really talked about other than every 4 years during the olympics

[christian1923]

Idk but he's the fastest man ever. That title is already cool enough.

[dunksby]

Fastest man on earth with mad swag, Usain Bolt is surely the most influential too. I have never seen any other runner be talked about so much.

[GOBB]

Top 5 athlete? How about we stick with fastest man in the history of track? Thats about spot on. Also Michael Phelps doesnt qualify as someone who dominated his sport? Just curious given how many medals he racked up (especially gold).

[alenleomessi]

hard to say man there are so many that dominated their sport

jordan
phelps
federer
tiger
ali
messi
babe ruth
gretzky
....

[Snoop_Cat]

Fastest man on earth with mad swag, Usain Bolt is surely the most influential too. I have never seen any other runner be talked about so much.

To confirm, you don't mean most influential runner of all time right. Cause that belongs to Jesse Owens.

[dunksby]

To confirm, you don't mean most influential runner of all time right. Cause that belongs to Jesse Owens.
I'm talking about my own time, among those runners I have seen he has been the most influential and he still got time to become even greater.

[Snoop_Cat]

I'm talking about my own time, among those runners I have seen he has been the most influential and he still got time to become even greater.

Fair enough, just making sure you weren't talking about from a total historical standpoint lols.

[L.Kizzle]

Jesse Owens >

[Swaggin916]

To confirm, you don't mean most influential runner of all time right. Cause that belongs to Jesse Owens.

I suppose. It wasn't him though it was the situation.

Usiain Bolt is like Ali in that he is an amazing self promoter and is just so on another level in terms of ability and showmanship that all of his egomaniac acts don't even come off badly... they just make the whole show even better. VERY few people have been able to pull this off. I can't really think of too many on his level I would say Jordan, Pele, Ali, Phelps, and Bolt I think. Phelps is the only one who isn't a cocky bastard (or at least doesn't come off that way) so the fact that he is in there speaks volumes about his accomplishments. Lance Armstrong would have been in there had it not of been for all the doping speculation.

So yea I would say of all time yes in top 5 and in this order

1. Jordan
2. Ali
3. Pele
4. Bolt
5. Phelps

Top 5 greatest and most influential athletes of all time. They are the standard. Everybody will be compared to them in their sport until the next big thing comes along. Also everybody knows who they are too. Guys like Babe Ruth or anybody in football or other smaller sports just aren't well known enough. Everyone knows Messi and maybe he surpasses Pele when it's all said and done. But in order to be the best athlete and most influential, you HAVE to be a world wide name.

[Wally450]

Fastest of all time :bowdown:

[lakers_forever]

IMO, no. I don't think he has surpassed Carl Lewis

1. Pele

2. Ali.

3. Jordan

4. Sugar Ray Robinson (better boxer than Ali, but the greatest had more impact)

5. Roger Federer

6. Michael Schumacher

7. Carl Lewis (winning in 100m and long jump is more impressive than Phelps IMO).

8. Michael Phelps

9. Usain Bolt

10. Gretzky


Gretzky is low (and no Babe Ruth) like that because most people around the world don't give a f*** about those sports.

[Reef]

IMO, no. I don't think he has surpassed Carl Lewis


What has Lewis done that Bolt hasn't? Bolt's the fastest human ever.

[lakers_forever]

What has Lewis done that Bolt hasn't? Bolt's the fastest human ever.


For now. Someone will be faster than him in the future. Lewis won the long jump as well as the 100 and 200m. No one has done that.

[Reef]

For now. Someone will be faster than him in the future. Lewis won the long jump as well as the 100 and 200m. No one has done that.

Who gives a shit about the long jump? Nobody has been as dominant as Bolt, just crushing world records and winning every major sprint medal.

[Timmy D for MVP]

Nobody agrees on the definition of a great athlete that can successfully cross sports. What I consider to be a great athlete will be different than what you do.

That said for the second straight Olympics Bolt has impressed me the most out of anyone. And that's by a wide margin. What he has accomplished in two Olympics has been unreal. Michael Phelps gets a slurpfest here in the U.S. but Bolt is the king imo.

[millwad]

People who mention guys like Babe Ruth and Wayne Gretzky are retarded.. There are few countries where people actually play ice hockey, it's a big sport in like 10 countries in the world, maximum of 15 countries and ice hockey is barely played in Asia, not at all in Africa, not in Oceania and not in South America. Therefor Gretzky is irrelevant.

And baseball is a really an irrelevant sport if you go around the world, Babe Ruth is totally irrelevant and people outside the US has no clue what so ever who the guy was..

[Chalkmaze]

Who gives a shit about the long jump? Nobody has been as dominant as Bolt, just crushing world records and winning every major sprint medal.

I'm more impressed by Mike Powel breaking a record that stood for 20 years http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuBkXcoP-48&feature=related
than Bolt.

[RedBlackAttack]

People who mention guys like Babe Ruth and Wayne Gretzky are retarded.. There are few countries where people actually play ice hockey, it's a big sport in like 10 countries in the world, maximum of 15 countries and ice hockey is barely played in Asia, not at all in Africa, not in Oceania and not in South America. Therefor Gretzky is irrelevant.

And baseball is a really an irrelevant sport if you go around the world, Babe Ruth is totally irrelevant and people outside the US has no clue what so ever who the guy was..
Unfortunately, you happen to be a member of a site whose posters are probably 95-percent American. Of course any discussion is going to favor sports that are popular in America over whatever is going on in Sweden.

Just so you know, there is no 'right' answer to this. So, with that said, let's hear your non-retarded list of GOAT Swedish athletes. I'm intrigued.

[Jailblazers7]

Lewis won gold in the long jump 4 times and almost did what Bolt did by defending gold in the 100 and came up a bit short in the 200. I'd rank him over Bolt.

[upside24]

Like others have said, Ali, Federer, Jordan, Phelps and Tiger all have a case over him. He is however the fastest man ever and dominates to the point that he cruises in the 200 to wins so he is definitely in contention. He also has a badass name if that counts for anything. :lol

[raiderfan19]

How exactly does Ali have a case as goat athlete when he's pretty universally not considered the goat at his sport???

[RedBlackAttack]

Ali should not be included on the list unless you are taking into account things like social significance, charisma and popularity.

If it is strictly based on how great the athlete was and you want to include boxing, Sugar Ray Robinson is your man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VLWBVpL23k (seriously.... watch this video. It is SRR in HD)

Even Ali called him "The Greatest."

[RedBlackAttack]

How exactly does Ali have a case as goat athlete when he's pretty universally not considered the goat at his sport???
^^^Beat me to it. In fact, I don't even consider him the GOAT heavyweight. Those would be Jack Johnson and Joe Louis.

Ali was a great, great fighter, but he doesn't belong in this conversation.

[NuggetsFan]

How exactly does Ali have a case as goat athlete when he's pretty universally not considered the goat at his sport???

I've seen that mentioned a few times on ISH. I've literally never watched a full boxing match in my life and have no clue about the sport yet I've always just assumed Ali was the GOAT :lol

Funny how things work.

[Chalkmaze]

If it is strictly based on how great the athlete was and you want to include boxing, Sugar Ray Robinson is your man.

Even Ali called him "The Greatest."

Oh really?

http://mit.zenfs.com/1002/2012/01/ali.jpg

[RedBlackAttack]

I've seen that mentioned a few times on ISH. I've literally never watched a full boxing match in my life and have no clue about the sport yet I've always just assumed Ali was the GOAT :lol

Funny how things work.
He's not even in the Top 5.

[tbc]

hard to say man there are so many that dominated their sport

jordan
phelps
federer
tiger
ali
messi
babe ruth
gretzky
....

what is messi doing on that list?


oh wait you're that barcelona dickrider,move along

[RedBlackAttack]

Oh really?
Yes... Many times.


Ali, who described himself as the Greatest, acknowledged that Robinson's ''matador'' style had been his inspiration in dethroning Sonny Liston as the heavyweight champion in 1964. Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, had asked Robinson to be his manager.

''You are the king, the master, my idol,'' Ali was fond of saying to Robinson.
http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/13/obituaries/sugar-ray-robinson-boxing-s-best-is-dead.html

Pretty well known within boxing circles. He didn't have to call him the best, btw... It is universally acknowledged by those who know the sport.

[Maga_1]

hard to say man there are so many that dominated their sport

jordan
phelps
federer
tiger
ali
messi
babe ruth
gretzky
....

What the hell, Messi and Ali?

[DeuceWallaces]

Fastest man on earth with mad swag, Usain Bolt is surely the most influential too. I have never seen any other runner be talked about so much.

Johnson had just much or more coverage and I imagine Lewis was greater than both.

[Chalkmaze]

Yes... Many times.


http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/13/obituaries/sugar-ray-robinson-boxing-s-best-is-dead.html

Pretty well known within boxing circles. He didn't have to call him the best, btw... It is universally acknowledged by those who know the sport.

Point is that he didn't actually call him the greatest, but that he was the idol of "the greatest". The greatest in Ali's opinion is himself, but it should also be noted that Muhammed doesn't believe you can compare different era's.

Yes, I know Sugar Ray was voted best pound for pound fighter and all that. I also own that book they are talking about. But I was really doubting that Muhammed actually called him the greatest, and he didn't. But I get your point anyway.

[RedBlackAttack]

Point is that he didn't actually call him the greatest, but that he was the idol of "the greatest". The greatest in Ali's opinion is himself, but it should also be noted that Muhammed doesn't believe you can compare different era's.

Yes, I know Sugar Ray was voted best pound for pound fighter and all that. I also own that book they are talking about. But I was really doubting that Muhammed actually called him the greatest, and he didn't. But I get your point anyway.
I've actually seen a clip in a documentary put together about the greats of boxing history wherein Ali flatly says that Robinson is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all-time.

I'll try to find it... Not sure if it is available on YT or not.

[Chalkmaze]

I've actually seen a clip in a documentary put together about the greats of boxing history wherein Ali flatly says that Robinson is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all-time.

I'll try to find it... Not sure if it is available on YT or not.

Okay, if you remember cool. If it's too big of a pain, don't worry about it. I suppose it's not really that important. I think he said Mike Tyson would have beat him up or something too, on the Arsenio Hall show, but I thought he might have just been trying to be entertaining and respectful. So who knows.

[miller-time]

bradman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Bradman#Cricket_context

i'm not even a fan, but the guy is up there.

[LJJ]

If it is strictly based on how great the athlete was and you want to include boxing, Sugar Ray Robinson is your man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VLWBVpL23k (seriously.... watch this video. It is SRR in HD)

Even Ali called him "The Greatest."

Pound for pound SRR is clearly greater. Overall though, Ali was clearly the better boxer.

Ali would **** SRR up in a boxing match.

[raiderfan19]

Pound for pound SRR is clearly greater. Overall though, Ali was clearly the better boxer.

Ali would **** SRR up in a boxing match.
And Lennox Lewis would have killed Ali. Honestly wlad klitschko would probably be favored over ali(though I think Ali would win)

[RedBlackAttack]

Pound for pound SRR is clearly greater. Overall though, Ali was clearly the better boxer.

Ali would **** SRR up in a boxing match.
That is a crazy way to judge a boxer, though. Overall, Gerry Cooney would probably mess SRR up in an actual boxing match, because he was seven inches taller and 100 pounds bigger. Does that mean Cooney>>>SRR?

Doesn't work that way.

And, even if we are looking at it that way, I have both Jack Johnson and Joe Louis above Ali in terms of heavyweights.

He was a fantastic fighter, but this is a very old sport with an incredible history of greats.

[miller-time]

If you translate cricket stats into baseball, it will makes Ted Williams look like a bush league player.

Still, Bolt has one and a half foot in GOAT status right now. The next Olympics will secure him into that.

wouldn't he still be in the 3rd standard deviation?

[Unstoppabull]

Who cares when you are known as the world's fastest man?

[Jackass18]

If it's top 5 athlete, then who gives a shit if they're not known world wide? It's not top 5 most popular/well known athlete. In any case, there's going to be various differing opinions as to what criteria to use, and for mine, he's not close. All he does is run fast for short distances. Impressive? Yes. One of the top athletes? No. It's just way too limited. If we're talking Olympics, then why not decathletes? Their scope isn't as limited as Bolt's is.

[tpols]

And, even if we are looking at it that way, I have both Jack Johnson and Joe Louis above Ali in terms of heavyweights.

He was a fantastic fighter, but this is a very old sport with an incredible history of greats.
Prime Mike Tyson wouldve shattered Jack Johnson's jaw.

[DuMa]

I would put Kelly Slater who has dominated Surfing competitions for nearly 20 years in that same category with Jordan, Pele, Ruth Gretzy, Phelps and Federer

[dude77]

he's impressively fast but come on .. it's two races .. much easier to concentrate and focus completely on and train for two short races .. two short events and he's done .. phelps is much more impressive in my opinion and if you wanna talk about shattering records then don't .. because you'll lose badly comparing bolt to phelps ..

but both those guys would be begging this guy for mercy:


http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc494/steelermia/1387798.jpg

^^ 6 Ironman World Championships in 7 years .. 5 in a row .. you wanna talk about athletes ? .. this guy would make bolt his bitch .. hell, any triathlete would

[Swaggin916]

I saw somebody mention Tiger Woods... Yea I don't think he really counts because Golf is more of a skill. I think you have to be involved in a sport where athleticism is a real advantage (to go along with skill).

[Saintsfan1992]

I mean if we are talking about pure athleticism, no media,impact, or anything else of that matter.

I think that bitch Lebron might have a fight or two in that top 5 athlete of all time???????

I mean he is a better athlete than Mj was.

More skilled **** no
better player No.







I mean a thrill ***** jus sayin. :confusedshrug:

[LJJ]

That is a crazy way to judge a boxer, though. Overall, Gerry Cooney would probably mess SRR up in an actual boxing match, because he was seven inches taller and 100 pounds bigger. Does that mean Cooney>>>SRR?

Doesn't work that way.

And, even if we are looking at it that way, I have both Jack Johnson and Joe Louis above Ali in terms of heavyweights.

He was a fantastic fighter, but this is a very old sport with an incredible history of greats.

I agree with you that Ali isn't the greatest heavyweight of all time, but that's not the argument I'm making.

I'm just saying that although this way of thinking has become ingrained in fighting disciplines over the years, this whole pound for pound way of judging fighters is silly and not based in reality. If a boxer is better pound for pound, but not better face to face: that means he's not a better fighter.

Of course the only reason SRR isn't a better fighter than Ali are his physical limitations, but that goes for every other sport too though. Maybe my sprinting technique is better than Bolt's, but my physical limitations prevent me from competing with him. Does that mean I'm a greater runner than Bolt? No. Silly way of thinking.

[JtotheIzzo]

in track, yes, all sports? You'd have to make exceptions.

You have all these people, some more a sure thing than others:

Gretzky (re-wrote the records, most dominant team sport athlete ever, but sport is not played globally).

Pele (generally considered GOAT in the world's most popular sport, but GOATness is not as separated from the pack as others).

Jordan (ISH is a hoop site, we know the drill).

Ruth (generally considered the GOAT in baseball because of pitching and hitting exploits as well as cultural impact, but baseball is played in very few countries).

Ali (more iconic a nominee as he lost a few times, but like Ruth captured the world's attention).

Federer (has he separated himself from Sampras, Laver etc..?)

Tiger Woods (still has not passed Nicklaus)

Carl Lewis (no, won in '84 against watered down competition, lost to Ben Johnson in '88 and also failed several drug tests)

Jesse Owens (impactful, but strong bias against his era, Bolt could replace him as the greatest sprinter ever).

[dunksby]

1- Maradona: Face of football
2- Ali: He is boxing.
3- Jordan: Same case
4- Federer: synonymous with his sport
5- Rezazadeh: strongest man on earth.

[dude77]

1- Maradona: Face of football
2- Ali: He is boxing.
3- Jordan: Same case
4- Federer: synonymous with his sport
5- Rezazadeh: strongest man on earth.

he says hi

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc494/steelermia/leonid255_lg.jpg

[dunksby]

he says hi

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc494/steelermia/leonid255_lg.jpg
Rezazadeh a better weightlifter than both Taraneko and Krastev.

[dude77]

Rezazadeh a better weightlifter than both Taraneko and Krastev.

Rezazadeh's resume speaks for itself .. but you said strongest on earth .. Taraneko has lifted the heaviest ever in competition

[alenleomessi]

jordan should be first one everyones list because he is the unanimous goat in the 2nd most important sport in the world
however, messi will surpass him when its all said and done ( football more important and popular )

[raiderfan19]

jordan should be first one everyones list because he is the unanimous goat in the 2nd most important sport in the world
however, messi will surpass him when its all said and done ( football more important and popular )
Basketball isn't the second most important sport in the world

[GOBB]

Prime Mike Tyson wouldve shattered Jack Johnson's jaw.

No he wouldnt have.

[chains5000]

Robert Korzeniowski
Hicham El Guerrouj
Emil Z

[PistonsFan#21]

[QUOTE=chains5000]Robert Korzeniowski
Hicham El Guerrouj
[B]Emil Z

[lakers_forever]

jordan should be first one everyones list because he is the unanimous goat in the 2nd most important sport in the world
however, messi will surpass him when its all said and done ( football more important and popular )

Jordan isn't the unanimous goat and Messi is no Pele.

[lakers_forever]

1- Maradona: Face of football


:roll:

[Jackass18]

jordan should be first one everyones list because he is the unanimous goat in the 2nd most important sport in the world
however, messi will surpass him when its all said and done ( football more important and popular )

What do you mean "most important sport"? Also, I don't get why people use popularity as a criteria either. The more popular/well known person is the better athlete?

[Swaggin916]

Basketball isn't the second most important sport in the world

The tell me genius what is the 2 most popular sport in world?

[alenleomessi]

What do you mean "most important sport"? Also, I don't get why people use popularity as a criteria either. The more popular/well known person is the better athlete?
most important, most known, most popular or however you wanna call it
i dont even think its arguable, football/soccer and basketball are 1 and 2 in the world

and no, but the best in the more known/popular/bigger sport is often > then the one who dominates a sport that is not that popular

[Sarcastic]

I feel like Javier Sotomayor doesn't get enough respect. He's still the only person to clear an 8 foot high jump, and he would have won more medals if Cuba didn't boycott the Olympics.

[Jackass18]

and no, but the best in the more known/popular/bigger sport is often > then the one who dominates a sport that is not that popular

No, that just makes them more well known/popular. Do they hand out MVPs to the most popular player? The thread started off about Bolt, but how many people care about track (or more specifically the events that he participates in) once the Olympics end? If you go by worldwide popularity (which you'll only get a rough estimate), then you get sports like cricket, field hockey, volleyball and table tennis up towards the top. Where's your list of players from those sports? In any case, why should popularity factor in? Why should an athlete be left out just because his sport isn't one of the most popular out there? Why should someone be left out just because some people in China and India haven't heard of him? If you're making a list and it's your list, then why should you give a shit about what India and China might think?

[knickballer]

The tell me genius what is the 2 most popular sport in world?

Cricket?

[Swaggin916]

Cricket?

No way man. That's popular in like India some middle eastern conutries and Australia maybe... and then like a side thing everywhere else. Basketball is like national sport of quite a few nations (China, Lithuania, etc) and is popular in many nations as a second sport to Soccer (Spain, Argentina, etc.)

[raiderfan19]

Tennis, golf, cricket, are all easily more important/popular than basketball. Basketball is only even 3rd in the big 4 in America.

[Jackass18]

People seem to be thinking more along the lines of 'Greatest sports icons' than top athletes.

[dude77]

People seem to be thinking more along the lines of 'Greatest sports icons' than top athletes.

yeah there seems to be some confusion with what category is being used ..

greatest athlete ? are we referring to sportsmen who dominated a sport ? or someone who is the greatest athlete in terms of physicality ? .. gotta be a little more specific

[gigantes]

Has anyone else dominated in their sport the same way he did in his? He probably wont get as much props as some other guys because track events are not really talked about other than every 4 years during the olympics
most legends put usain bolt to shame in their respective sports:

jim thorpe
jack nicklaus
babe ruth
carl lewis
michael jordan
serge bubka
dale earnhardt
michael phelps
etc
etc
etc

usain bolt is awesome here and now, but a small child when it comes to dominating his sport the way the legends did. plain and simple.

[baseketball4life]

if he makes the NFL or EPL, yes.

[Reef]

most legends put usain bolt to shame in their respective sports:

jim thorpe
jack nicklaus
babe ruth
carl lewis
michael jordan
serge bubka
dale earnhardt
michael phelps
etc
etc
etc

usain bolt is awesome here and now, but a small child when it comes to dominating his sport the way the legends did. plain and simple.

No other sprinter has won Olympics golds in 100, 200, and relays twice. Plus he has world records in all of them. That's the definition of dominant. Carl Lewis couldn't do that. Plus Bolt was never involved in PED controversies like Lewis was.

[Chalkmaze]

I personally find the guys that do marathons at just above 5 minutes a mile way more impressive, but whatever.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned these guys yet.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lugtltKNby1qm9rypo1_1280.jpg

http://assets.espn.go.com/i/eticket/20071128/photos/etick_i_bocomic_310.jpg

http://youtu.be/Bs-1hPkLKeQ <--------- HIGHLIGHTS

[Balla_Status]

Give me Ironmen over Usain Bolt.

[HardwoodLegend]

I hate when people try to say one type of athlete is superior to another.

They each have chosen their lane, and that's that. How is a marathoner more impressive? If that marathoner chose, in the beginning, to dedicate themselves to maxing out their speed, chances are they wouldn't get close to Bolt and vice versa.

We should all be paying homage and respect to this man who has pushed the limits for human speed. He's truly an explosive specimen for the ages.

I do wonder how fast Bo Jackson could have gotten if he dedicated himself to the 100 Meters though.

[Chalkmaze]

I hate when people try to say one type of athlete is superior to another.

They each have chosen their lane, and that's that. How is a marathoner more impressive? If that marathoner chose, in the beginning, to dedicate themselves to maxing out their speed, chances are they wouldn't get close to Bolt and vice versa.

We should all be paying homage and respect to this man who has pushed the limits for human speed. He's truly an explosive specimen for the ages.

I do wonder how fast Bo Jackson could have gotten if he dedicated himself to the 100 Meters though.

I actually agree with you for the most part. I'm not really choosing anyone as best athlete, but usually people pick the muscle bound guys first. I think the best marathoners are just as incredible as the top sprinters. One guy only has to sprint for 10 seconds, the other guy has to run at a near sprint for over 2 hours, and to me that's at least as good of an athlete as a sprinter, in fact it's more impressive to me. But the top marathon guy usually looks super thin and small, and a marathon isn't as exciting so people will naturally want to pick the HULKS of the sports world where all the excitement is crammed into a very brief moment of time. In other words, sprinting is way more exciting than a marathon race to most people, so they are going to naturally like those athletes more.

[HardwoodLegend]

I actually agree with you for the most part. I'm not really choosing anyone as best athlete, but usually people pick the muscle bound guys first. I think the best marathoners are just as incredible as the top sprinters. One guy only has to sprint for 10 seconds, the other guy has to run at a near sprint for over 2 hours, and to me that's at least as good of an athlete as a sprinter, in fact it's more impressive to me. But the top marathon guy usually looks super thin and small, and a marathon isn't as exciting so people will naturally want to pick the HULKS of the sports world where all the excitement is crammed into a very brief moment of time. In other words, sprinting is way more exciting than a marathon race to most people, so they are going to naturally like those athletes more.

I hear you... I'm one of those sprint-biased people, but I've learned to appreciate the endurance events more in recent years.

David Rudisha and Mo Farah really impressed me in London and were unsung heroes. They didn't get enough shine.

I liked how Bolt paid homage to Farah though by doing his arm gesture after Jamaica won the 4x1 relay.

http://i47.tinypic.com/21l3o8z.png

[KG215]

David Rudisha and Mo Farah really impressed me in London and were unsung heroes. They didn't get enough shine.


This. Bolt and Phelps rightfully stole the spotlight at the Olympics, but Farah and Rudisha did something pretty remarkable, too. Obviously Farah was incredible, but he got his share of attention. I'm a mid-distance/distance fan (meaning I'm a little biased) but Rudisha is on track to completely own the 800m. He's 23 and already has something like the 3 fastest times ever, and 10 of the 20 fastest ever. Then he comes out at the Olympics and becomes the first man ever to run a sub 1:41 and does so unrabbitted.

Obviously, if he wanted to be in the same discussion as the T&F athletes in the GOAT discussion he'd not only have to continue his dominance at at least one more WC and Olympics, but he'd need to add the 400m or 1500m to his resume and win some hardware there, too. I think if he added a second event it'd be the 400m. I believe he has a PR in the mid-45s but he's never seriously trained for it, and I don't think he's ever ran the 400m in a competition in 2 or 3 years. Still, he's on pace to dominate a single T&F event at an unparalleled level.

[Swaggin916]

I hear you... I'm one of those sprint-biased people, but I've learned to appreciate the endurance events more in recent years.

David Rudisha and Mo Farah really impressed me in London and were unsung heroes. They didn't get enough shine.

I liked how Bolt paid homage to Farah though by doing his arm gesture after Jamaica won the 4x1 relay.

http://i47.tinypic.com/21l3o8z.png

Love that picture

[RedBlackAttack]

I agree with you that Ali isn't the greatest heavyweight of all time, but that's not the argument I'm making.

I'm just saying that although this way of thinking has become ingrained in fighting disciplines over the years, this whole pound for pound way of judging fighters is silly and not based in reality. If a boxer is better pound for pound, but not better face to face: that means he's not a better fighter.

Of course the only reason SRR isn't a better fighter than Ali are his physical limitations, but that goes for every other sport too though. Maybe my sprinting technique is better than Bolt's, but my physical limitations prevent me from competing with him. Does that mean I'm a greater runner than Bolt? No. Silly way of thinking.
No... THAT is a silly way of determining the greatest boxers of all-time. It is also the reason why no one gives a sh!t about the heavyweight division these days and two welterweights are today's most recognizable boxers by miles and miles. They are the best in the world at their craft.

At the end of the day, boxing is a sport, not a street fight. It really isn't about who can beat up whom if you give a guy a humungous enough weight/height advantage. It is about which guys are most dominant against their peers.

The same thing goes for virtually all combat sports... MMA, collegiate style wrestling, greco-roman, karate, kickboxing, etc.

Weight divisions exist for a reason. Boxing really is a science. Those who have mastered that science are considered the best in their sport, not the guys who rely on ridiculous weight advantages.

[LJJ]

Weight divisions exist for a reason.

Yes. First of all to broaden the sport's participation. Which is fine, everybone should be able to enjoy sports regardless of their build. And of course for business reasons. More classes = more fights = more champions = more revenue. Doesn't mean we should take the lower classes as seriously though.

It's still not any different from making different classes based on physical limitations in other sports. You also have special basketball leagues for short people, it's the exact same principle. But the only form of the sport that truly matters and is truly taken seriously is the "no restrictions on participants" form. As it should be.

If you can't hack it in the "free weight" class of boxing: by any means become great in a class where the participants are heavily restricted to be homogeneous. But you can't really call yourself the best fighter if you can't come close to beating all the true natural opponents.