- 6 weeks ago
Few things in sports captivate us quite like two legends going head-to-head for greatness. Join us as we count down our picks for the most iconic and fiercely contested rivalries in sports history! Our countdown includes duels from boxing, basketball, tennis, football, golf, hockey, soccer, and Formula 1. Which rivalry do you consider the greatest of all time? Let us know in the comments!
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00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most fiercely
00:10contested and utterly thrilling rivalries in the history of sports.
00:1910. Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling
00:32When it comes to the truly important sporting duels of the 20th century, the bond shared by America's
00:37Joe Louis and Germany's Max Schmeling runs deeper than most. Their two-fight series came right at
00:41the peak of pre-World War tensions between the USA and Nazi Germany. The first bout was won by
00:46Schmeling in 1936, as he shocked the world by handing the Brown Bomber his first loss. It wasn't
00:51just a huge win for him, it was a major symbolic victory for Germany, although Schmeling resisted
00:55being the focus of propaganda. Louis then rebounded in 1938, crushing his rival in the rematch by
00:59way of first-round KO, the ultimate boxing revenge story.
01:119. Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain
01:21Where you fall in the debate between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain will give some idea of what
01:26you truly value in a team sport athlete. These two giants of 1960s basketball gave us the type
01:31of rivalry that is still hard to top even to this day. Russell was the ultimate team player,
01:35elevating his Boston team to his staggering 11 NBA championships, regularly defeating
01:40Chamberlain across many teams. Chamberlain, despite winning just two championships, produced inhuman
01:56statistics, including averaging 50 points per game and scoring 100 points in a single contest. On paper,
02:02Russell convincingly won the rivalry in terms of silverware, but it's hard to deny that Chamberlain was
02:06the more impressive player. I think that you always need the best to bring the best out in you. So
02:14I was
02:14always fortunate to have to know that I was going to play against the Celtics and William Felton Russell.
02:20Number 8. Alan Prost vs. Ayrton Senna
02:22It is still considered today as the best years of Formula One. And I really think it was because we
02:30were different style of driving, you know, different education, different personality.
02:36During a major peak in popularity for Formula One in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the rivalry between
02:42Alan Prost and Ayrton Senna was a riveting affair. Like any great pairing, they each represented two
02:46different types of elite drivers. Prost earned the nickname The Professor due to his calculated
02:50race management, consistency, and strategic brilliance. Senna relied on speed, fearlessness,
02:55and aggression, especially in wet conditions. Between 1985 and 1993, they shared seven of the
02:59nine championships that were up for grabs. Well, I think we are watching the arrival of Ayrton Senna
03:05as a truly outstanding talent. He's catching Alan Prost for something like three seconds of that,
03:11and that is a truly staggering performance. Their personal relationship had its ups in
03:16downs, especially due to some controversial race moments. However, when Senna tragically lost
03:20his life in a crash in 1994, Prost was a pallbearer at his funeral.
03:24The only thing I asked on the contract, I said, I don't want to be a teammate with Ayrton.
03:30It has to be clear. And they have accepted that very quickly. I said, no, it's not our intention.
03:36That is the only thing I asked on the contract, because I wanted to be a wet champion. I did
03:40not
03:40want to lose the opportunity. Number seven, Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning.
03:44This is the 14th time that two of the all-time greats share the same field,
03:49Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Quarterbacks rarely came around who epitomized excellence
03:53quite as much as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. They each brought their own unique traits and skills
03:57to the table, carving out legacies that placed them among the finest NFL players to ever do it.
04:02Although Brady's career saw him eventually dwarf Manning's Super Bowl ring total by seven to two,
04:06as it was happening, these two were neck and neck. I don't think there's really anything close to this
04:10rivalry between Brady and Peyton Manning. The greatest quarterback rivalry ever.
04:15Across 17 meetings, Brady had the edge in overall wins, but Manning actually had more victories in
04:19postseason games. It's easy to point at Brady as the clear winner here, but Manning's part in their
04:23rivalry cannot be understated.
04:34Number six, Arnold Palmer vs. Jack Nicklaus.
04:36We've had a great rivalry through the years. We've had a lot of fun. Arnold's won some matches,
04:41I've won some matches, but here we are 30 years later and still continuing it. And I'm sure we're
04:45going to have a lot of fun today doing it again. At a crucial time for golf's explosion into the
04:49mainstream, it was elevated by several superstars who had the magnetism and charisma to draw attention.
04:54While many pioneers existed during this time, the rivalry between Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus
04:58played a huge role in the sports expansion. Palmer was a naturally easy golfer to root for,
05:03becoming a real favorite on his way to seven major championship victories.
05:06We were in competition for it. I remember clear up until 1972.
05:10He really thought he had that one. And another one of Barney's improbable charges has failed to come off.
05:15Nicklaus eventually settled the rivalry with the far more impressive career,
05:18earning 18 major championships, a record that has not been broken to this day.
05:22These two guys, alongside Gary Player, made up the big three of golf in the 1960s.
05:27But, you know, I see Jack and I see Gary, but getting together with the guys and hearing some of
05:33the stories is fun.
05:34Number five, Wayne Gretzky vs. Mario Lemieux.
05:36Gets him to open wide up. Look at the amount of room he has. And Mario Lemieux can see that.
05:42Most of us couldn't.
05:43In any sport, the odds of having two of the greatest players of all time in the same era are
05:47quite slim.
05:47Yet, hockey was graced by two of its finest athletes in the 80s and 90s.
05:51Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
05:52Gretzky dominated the 1980s with unmatched vision, anticipation and playmaking.
05:57Rewriting basically every scoring record with four Stanley Cups to show for it.
06:00Wayne was the epitome of what it is to be a National Hockey League star.
06:05To be around him was to be around royalty.
06:09Though Lemieux was plagued by health issues, he was a truly dominant force.
06:13Bringing incredible size, athleticism and creativity to the game. Winning two Stanley Cups.
06:17Each man had their major peak and while Gretzky is widely regarded as the GOAT,
06:21he had one hell of a rival to push him to even greater achievements.
06:24Skating again on February 12th. Of course, we all know that he wanted to play a week ago,
06:28but Craig Patrick held him out of the game. Today, he had his final treatment and he's right here
06:32in the spectrum all ready to play a hockey game. It's pretty amazing when you think about it.
06:35Number four, Rafael Nadal versus Roger Federer.
06:38When I am doing things that I don't like that much, it's just, I know that I have to do
06:45that
06:45to have better moments on court.
06:48Those who began watching tennis in the modern era are likely sick of hearing just how amazing
06:52it was to watch Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer competing for all those years they shared.
06:56It's true though. Tennis fans were spoiled to see these guys go head to head,
06:59with each man bringing his own unique style and attributes to proceedings.
07:05Astonishing win by a young man whose progress is so fast, so rapid.
07:14Nadal repeatedly frustrated Federer on clay, winning 14 French Open titles and dominating
07:18their meeting at Roland Garros. Federer enjoyed greater success on faster services,
07:23yet Nadal defeated him in classics including the unforgettable 2008 Wimbledon final, widely
07:27regarded as tennis's greatest match. Both men are legends, even if Nadal ended his career
07:32with the better record against the Swiss icon.
07:43Number three, Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson.
07:45He went out that day, yes, to try to win the NBA championship,
07:48but also to prove it to one Larry Bird. You know what? I should have been rookie of the year.
07:53Even though I won the championship, I still want to win the rookie of the year too.
07:56Ask 100 people to name the most famous sporting rivalry of them all, and depending on the day,
08:00you might end up with Magic versus Bird, taking home the majority of mentions. It started in the
08:04NCAA Finals before Larry Bird and Magic Johnson dominated the NBA throughout the 1980s. The Showtime
08:09era Lakers were must-see TV, while Larry Legend and the Celtics continuously proved to be a thorn in
08:14their side.
08:15Magic's just a great basketball player. He's the best I've ever seen, you know.
08:22Unbelievable. I don't know what to say.
08:24Though Magic won overall in head-to-head showdowns and championship rings,
08:27many considered Bird to be the superior player at his ultimate peak, a truly difficult rivalry to
08:32separate.
08:32Obviously, with the teams that we had, 84 and 86, I thought in 84 we got lucky and came back
08:39and beat you guys, but 86 was a team that I thought was our best team in Boston, and I
08:43would
08:44take that team and challenge anyone.
08:46Number two, Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo.
08:58We've watched great athletes come up in the same era and collide in different sports before,
09:02but Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo represent something different. These two living legends
09:06elevated the standards for goal scoring in a way that no players in football history had done before.
09:10While many rivalries fizzle out after a few peak collisions, Messi and Ronaldo were neck and neck for
09:15well over a decade.
09:32Ronaldo represented the perfect athlete and one of the most clinical finishers to ever lace up boots.
09:36Messi was the creative force, the one who produced more moments of magic. Though many believe that the
09:40debate was closed when Messi first captured World Cup gold in 2022, people will be arguing about
09:45these two for years to come.
09:47Can we just ask you to make sure you retire at the same time as Leo?
09:53Well...
09:53Que termine su carrera al mismo momento que tu?
09:57He's two years younger than me, I think.
09:59So keep going, no?
10:01But I think I look good for my age.
10:03Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:06Pete Sampras versus Andre Agassi, the rivalry that defined tennis in the 1990s.
10:10I can play pretty good tennis and play good tennis and he can still beat me because of
10:13his return and the way he is as a talent.
10:17Arnold Schwarzenegger versus Lou Ferrigno, two titans of bodybuilding that pushed each other to
10:21the limit.
10:22You want to shout out, it's my son out there, give him just a few more handshakes, a few more
10:27foot and you just hope that he's the winner, that's all.
10:31Chris Everett versus Martina Navratilova, a decade plus run of shared dominance that birthed
10:36a close friendship.
10:37It is a long time since we've seen a final that pecked this much drama.
10:4281 was my first Aussie win.
10:47Manny Pacquiao versus Juan Manuel Marquez,
10:50the rivalry that proved that numbers don't mean everything.
10:52It's all started with a brilliant Pacquiao left hand,
10:56which looked for a moment as though it was going to knock Marquez down.
11:00Sidney Crosby versus Alexander Ovechkin, the rivalry credited with saving the NHL.
11:04Since day one when we came to the league, it was kind of big moments when the Cavs plays against
11:13Pittsburgh and Ovechkin said, you know, I think it was a fun time, right?
11:17Oh yeah.
11:17Number one, Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier.
11:21They're both tired.
11:23Why not after that pace?
11:25There is no rivalry in boxing and perhaps even in sports more broadly that can compare with the
11:30one shared by Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Three fights, three undeniable classics and a bond that
11:35most people will simply never understand. Frazier shocked the returning Ali when he scored an upset in
11:40the fight of the century to legitimize his reign as champion.
11:49However, Ali would not be denied his revenge going to war with Smoke and Joe to win their next two
11:53bouts. These two pushed each other further than any rivalry in combat sports and of course,
11:58things became quite personal before they eventually made their peace. A unique and
12:01riveting pairing that might not have been equal in any form of competition.
12:14But what do you consider to be the greatest rivalry in sports history? Let us know in the comments below.