Floyd Mayweather’s bankroll is bigger than any athlete collected in any sport over the last decade. TBE, the Biggest Earner Ever. Money buys a lot of toys. A garage full of them. But it doesn’t always buy recognition, or maybe respect.
Mayweather was overlooked by The Associated Press late last year in voting for Male Athlete of the Decade. LeBron James won in what looked to be a slam dunk.
But Mayweather, a slam dunk choice for boxing’s Fighter of the Decade, argues he should been voted the No. 1 athlete for at least the 2010-2019 decade.
“I love LeBron James, but when we talking about Male Athlete of the Decade, that’s me,” Mayweather said during an appearance on Drink Champs, a podcast hosted by N.O.R.E., a hip-hop artist. “That’s me. Hands down.”
Mayweather, who sounds as if he’s got a chip the size of a Ferrari on his shoulder, went on to say why he thinks he was the best, better than James and better than any of the other contenders – sprinter Usian Bolt, NFL quarterback Tom Brady, swimmer and all-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps and soccer’s Lionel Messi.
“We talking about from 1996 to 2020, and I’ve never received Athlete of the Decade,” Mayweather said. “At the top of Forbes, and I’m my own boss.”
Forget the decades. Mayweather was never voted AP’s Male Athlete of The Year. Any year. Meanwhile, James got the annual award three times – 2013, 2016, and 2018. He won NBA championship rings in Miami and Cleveland. He was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player three times – 2010, 2012 and 2013. Other than beat Conor McGregor, James pretty much did it all during the last decade.
But Mayweather argues that James’ ties to major corporations paved the way to his decade honor.
“No Gatorade behind me, no Sprite behind me, no Nike behind me,” Mayweather said. “You got to realize, these are billion-dollar companies. And we like to call it ‘placement.’
“So, if they paying – you get what you want if you paying enough. But if we going off just honesty, I’m the Athlete of the Decade. Of the last two decades actually.”
Tiger Woods won it for the 2000-2009 decade. For the most part, boxers have been left out of the debate, another sign that they’re engaged in a sport on the fringe. Since 1931, only four boxers have been voted Athlete of the Year – Joe Louis in 1935, Ingemar Johansson in 1959, Muhammad Ali in 1974 and George Foreman in 1994.
Foreman won for a compelling comeback in which he won a heavyweight title. Maybe, that’s why there are repeated rumors about a Mayweather return. A comeback might buy what his cash can’t.
