Mayweather: I’m Athlete of The Decade – NOT LeBron James

Five division world champion Floyd Mayweather disagrees with the decision by the Associated Press to name NBA superstar LeBron James as the Male Athlete of the Decade. 

During an interview with Drink Champs, the 42-year-old Mayweather disagreed with the viewpoint that James was the better athlete of the recent decade.

“I love LeBron James but when we talking about Athlete of the Decade, that’s me. That’s me. Hands down,” said Mayweather. “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 explains that unlike James he never relied on sponsorships to make his money.

“No Gatorade behind me, no Sprite behind me, no Nike behind me. These are billion-dollar companies and we like to call it placement,” said Mayweather. “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 last two decades, actually.” 

James was selected over superstar athletes like Tom Brady, Usain Bolt, Lionel Messi, and Michael Phelps.

Mayweather has been hinting at a potential ring return in 2020, but there is no word if the contest will be an actual sanctioned fight.

The 50-0 boxer retired for good back in August of 2017, when he came back from a two-year retirement to score a tenth round stoppage of UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a cross-sport boxing match.