It’s a topic that’s been covered o’plenty, but always worthy of a re-set. Any sport, any nationality, any discipline. Last thing I want for this thread is for it dissolve into the “what defines an athlete” debate. Anything goes. I want to learn.
Mine in no particular order:
Derek Poundstone (Strongman)
Steve Yzerman (Hockey)
Shaun White (Olympic/Xgames Snowboarding)
Honorable Mentions go to Clay Matthews and Barry Sanders (football), Kenny Bradshaw (big wave surfing)…
1.sugar ray robinson
2.vasili alexeyev
3.aleksandr karelin
Alexeyev was a 2 time gold medal winner, and 9 time world champion, and set over 80 world records.
Karelin was a 3 time gold medalist and 9 time world champion, but in 13 years, not only was he undefeated, but DID NOT HAVE A SINGLE POINT scored against him.
It is hard to comprehend this level of dominance on an INTERNATIONAL level in sports that are practiced at such a high level in so many countries.
Sugar Ray? What can I say…200 fights, 173 wins, 106 KO’s, this was in an era which fighters were not protected like today, the best fought the best all the time…Sugar Ray WAS boxing…
" there was never a day my muscles did not ache, if they did not ache I thought there was something wrong with me. I had to make every muscle in my body ache every day or I could not relax. I felt ill if I was not in pain from training, see what an unusual person I am"?