The boxing event of the decade (or so we’ve heard) is almost upon us, and we at HFR couldn’t be any more excited to watch the fight go down this Saturday, August 26th between two of the fittest athletes in the world. Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather may have their differences in boxing techniques, but both made our list of the Top 10 Fittest Male Athletes in the World 2017.
Samir Becic and the HFR Institute put in 500 man-hours to compile this list of the 10 most all-around fit athletes. The list started with hundreds of professional athletes from various sports and was eventually narrowed down to the fittest 10. The list, though difficult to narrow down, was a result of extensive research by the HFR institute.
“It’s not important who the fittest athletes in the world are,” Samir Becic said. “What’s important is that all the athletes spread the message of having a healthy lifestyle. With a healthy lifestyle, physical fitness, healthy nutrition, mental, social and spiritual balance, we can control, manage or completely avoid over 70% of all illnesses known to mankind.”
With all the marketing and press in the news, you’d have to be living under a rock to not know everything that’s been going on leading up to this big fight. If you are up to date, then you know that their press conference tour has been getting lots of attention from everyone. You also should know that half of McGregor and Mayweather’s success comes from their outspoken attitudes, not just boxing skills. Every day you see a new video on Facebook of Mayweather driving a new Bugatti, or McGregor screaming in his Irish accent about how Godly he is.
These two big personalities have been clashing at press conferences, getting a little too close for comfort as two people who claim to hate each other. McGregor has been much more outspoken than Mayweather, going on talk shows like “Conan” and ESPN’s “Sunday Conversation”. Mayweather doesn’t have to do much publicity since he’s coming out of retirement just for this fight. With all this drama going on, it’s going to be impossible to not watch!
Here is a breakdown of each athlete’s fitness profile, and how they measure up to each other in the world of health and fitness.
Floyd Mayweather, making our list at #8:
- Accomplishments:
- First championship belt won in 1998 at 21.
- Record 49-0, 26 knockouts.
- WBC super featherweight champion, WBC lightweight champion, WBC light-welterweight champion, WBC light-middleweight champion.
- He is a two-time winner of The Ring magazine’s Fighter of the Year award (1998 and 2007)
- Three-time winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Fighter of the Year award (2007, 2013, and 2015), and a six-time winner of the Best Fighter ESPY Award (2007–10, 2012–14).
- In 2016 Mayweather peaked as BoxRec’s number one pound for pound fighter of all time; as well as the greatest welterweight of all time.
- In 2016, ESPN ranked Mayweather as the greatest pound for pound boxer of the last 25 years.
- Workout and Fitness:
- A favorite pre-fight workout is shadowboxing.
- Drill work includes sparring, speed & heavy bag, neck workout w/weights, 200 sit-ups, pull-ups, dips, jump rope, and 5-8 mile run.
- Diet and Nutrition:
- Personal chef Quiana Jeffries said Mayweather only eats organic fruits/veggies and focuses on high levels of protein, low carbs, and no pork!
- Community Involvement:
- Founded the Mayweather Foundation, which empowers and encourages community alliances, impacts youth leadership and strengthens family foundations through community development, entrepreneurialism, and education resulting in a healthier community.
Conor McGregor, making our list at #9:
- Accomplishments:
- He is the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion and former UFC Featherweight Champion.
- He has competed as a featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight.
- Has fastest victory in UFC title fight history- 13 seconds into the first round.
- Became the first fighter in UFC’s history to hold titles in two divisions simultaneously.
- He is known for being the biggest pay-per-view draw in MMA.
- Workout and Fitness:
- Does not adhere to a strict schedule, but as soon as he wakes up, he’s moving.
- Said he is self-taught and nothing is done by the clock.
- Does yoga every day and believes that balance is imperative- anything that doesn’t improve his core is not beneficial in his opinion.
- Does jiu-jitsu.
- Boxes.
- Swims.
- Jump ropes.
- Lifts weights.
- Dead hangs from objects.
- According to him, however, his most valuable skill is intangible. “My belief is my best asset, and I have a stronger mindset than my opponent,” he says.
- Diet and Nutrition:
- Drinks water first thing in the morning, even before coffee.
- Tackled his sweet tooth by substituting his cravings with cinnamon instead.
- Has a notorious “Eat Clean” diet.
- His coach posted a picture of the fridge his McGregor’s house and the entire contents of it included: salmon, chicken, steak, fruit and veg.
- No bread.
- Doesn’t eat fast food.
- Has said “I have a sweet tooth — that would be where I’d put on some weight out of fighting is somebody brings in a pack of cakes and coffee. But the majority, I’ll eat good-quality meats, good-quality greens, good-quality carbohydrates like sweet potato and butternut squash, and that is it.”
- Community Involvement:
- Has done various appearances to raise funds for the homeless charities in Ireland.
- In 2015 he donated €50,000 to two of Ireland’s homeless charities: Simon Community and Focus Ireland.
With two incredibly fit athletes, it’s hard to say who will win this fight. Are you ready to place your bets? Who do YOU think will win?
