Top 10 biggest sports rivalries in the world

Rivalries only make the sport more competitive and enjoyable
Rivalries only make the sport more competitive and enjoyable

#6 Lewis Hamilton vs Nico Rosberg (Formula One)

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg

Theirs is a story of childhood friends turning into foes on the track. Both Hamilton and Rosberg are fantastic drivers. Rosberg has 1 Drivers' Title and Hamilton has 5. Rosberg made 57 podium finishes in 206 Races, Hamilton made 134 in 229.

The two Mercedes teammates were extremely competitive as they dominated the sport between the years 2013 and 2016. They went on to win 54 of the 78 races as teammates.

The first incidence of a rivalry came during the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix when Hamilton and Rosberg were involved in a wheel-to-wheel encounter for victory. Many more such duels were witnessed right until Rosberg's shock retirement in 2016 after reaching the pinnacle of his career.

Hamilton mentioned in a statement "In terms of missing the rivalry, of course, because we started karting when we were 13 and we would always talk about being champions. When I joined this team, Nico was there, which was something we spoke about when we were kids. So it's going to be very, very strange, and, for sure, it will be sad to not have him in the team next year."


#5 Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier (Boxing)

Ali-Frazier
Ali-Frazier

Both Ali and Frazier garnered a huge fan following. Both had their own style and charisma. Both were relentless. One of the most celebrated rivalries in the brutal sport of boxing is the one between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Ali was the undisputed champion back in the day...that is until Frazier came along and handed him his first defeat in 1971. It was termed as the 'fight of the century'.

Smokin' Joe had overpowered The Greatest - leaving the world stunned. Frazier had won via a unanimous decision after 15 grueling rounds of intense boxing.

The two fought only two times more - the Super Fight II in 1974 and the Thrilla in Manila in 1975 - and Ali won both.

The anticipation and hype around their matches were beyond explanation. The speed of Ali and the hooks of Frazier made their fights an instant sellout. They were watched by millions across the globe.

It remains the most brutal trilogy there ever was in the sport.

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Edited by Zaid Khan
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