Mayweather slams decision to name NBA star Male Athlete of the Decade over him

 

Floyd Mayweather Jr is far from happy after he was snubbed for the Male Athlete of the Decade in favour of NBA star LeBron James.

The unbeaten fighter said he should have been awarded the honour by Associated Press ‘hands down’, and believes he was the athlete of the previous decade too.

The 42-year-old has a 50-0 record throughout his boxing career and was a world champion in five different weight divisions – his last bout coming via a tenth-round stoppage against Conor McGregor in a mega fight in August 2017.

He has been teasing a comeback to the ring, with rematches against both McGregor and Manny Pacquiao mooted this year.

But he couldn’t help but show his displeasure after he was overlooked for the award and pointed out how successful he had become by his own doing.

‘I love LeBron James but when we talking about Athlete of the Decade, that’s me,’ he told podcast Drink Champs. ‘That’s me. Hands down.

‘We talking about from 1996 to 2020 … and I’ve never received Athlete of the Decade. At the top of Forbes and I’m my own boss.’

Mayweather, who is also a promoter after hanging up his gloves, aimed a dig at James by saying he had never been boosted by sponsorship deals.

‘No Gatorade behind me, no Sprite behind me, no Nike behind me. These are billion-dollar companies and we like to call it placement. So if they (are) paying, you get what you want if you’re paying enough.

‘Just honestly, I’m the athlete of the decade … and the last two decades, actually.’

A host of top athletes had been in contention for the Athlete of the Decade, including Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, NFL quarter-back Tom Brady and Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, but LA Lakers star James beat them to the prize.

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While Mayweather can be proud of his unblemished fight record, James is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players ever after winning three NBA championships and four MVP awards.