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Floyd Mayweather Says He Deserved To Be Named Athlete Of The Decade, Not LeBron James

Floyd Mayweather Says He Deserved To Be Named Athlete Of The Decade, Not LeBron James

He's not happy.

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare

Floyd Mayweather has claimed he should have been awarded the 'Athlete of the Decade' award instead of NBA star LeBron James.

At the end of last year, Association Press named the Los Angeles Lakers player as their male Athlete of the Decade, overcoming competition from Lionel Messi, Tom Brady, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps for the honor.

Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA

James expressed his delight at receiving the award but five-division world champion Mayweather hasn't exactly reacted well to the news.

In fact, the 42-year-old has claimed that he should have been Athlete of the Decade "for the past two decades."

"I love LeBron James but when we talking about Athlete of the Decade, that's me. That's me. Hands down," he said in an interview with Drinks Champs.

"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."

Image: PA
Image: PA

Mayweather went on to explain how he has never relied on sponsorships to make his dollar, unlike LeBron.

"No Gatorade behind me, no Sprite behind me, no Nike behind me. These are billion-dollar companies and we like to call it placement," Mayweather continued.

"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."

Image: PA
Image: PA

LeBron James has since reflected on winning the award.

"You add another 10 years of learning and adversity, pitfalls, good, great, bad, and any smart person who wants to grow will learn from all those experiences," James said.

"A decade ago, I just turned 25. I'm about to be 35 and I'm just in a better (place) in my life and have a better understanding of what I want to get out of life."

Do you agree with Mayweather's latest remarks? Is he really the 'Athlete of the Decade'?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Basketball, Basketball News, NBA, james, Floyd Mayweather

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

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@jackkenmare_