I was just sitting in front of the TV and watched a strongman show and I could not help to wonder who the most powerful athletes ever might be, therefore I did my research came up with this list. And I mean in all different sports, so here I will give you my take on the matter based on sheer physical dominance in their respective sports.
Here’s a quick rundown list of the most powerful athletes ever existed:
- Alexandr Karelin
- Bo Jackson
- Usain Bolt
- Mike ”Iron” Tyson
- Fedor Emelianenko
- Wilt Chamberlain
- Shaquille O’Neal
- Larry Allen
- Lebron James
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic
10. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Swedish soccer player Zlatan is known for being a physical specimen. He got highlight reels for days and never back down from a duel. Standing at 195 cm (6ft 4inches) and 95 kilos (210lbs) players usually fly around like gloves around him.
He is not only big but also extremely athletic and incredibly flexible. Therefore, I believe Zlatan earns a spot on this list.
9. Lebron James
Lebron is a basketball player in the NBA and is somewhat a household name. His dunks are often delivered with incredible power and I find it highly capturing watching him play and sometimes I can sit for hours just watching him dominating opponents with his physical strength and big stature.
His official weight stands somewhere around 250 lbs but it is believed to be more like 270 lbs. When defenders stand in his way they usually just fall like match sticks. And whenever someone is debating about who the greatest basketball player of all time is you will more than likely hear him being named.
8. Larry Allen
Former NFL player Larry Allen is widely known to be the strongest American football player ever. Having recorded a bench press of 320 kilos (705lbs) and a squat of 411 kilos (905lbs).
Larry could basically just run through a whole team self handed. And not only was he strong but man could he run. A man this powerful absolutely deserves a place on a list with the most powerful athletes ever.
7. Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq was a true freak of nature. Weighing in at 325 lbs (147kilo) and standing at 7 ft 1 in (216cm) he might be the most dominant force in the history of the NBA. And that is also the reason he is such a joy to watch.
He made scoring look so easy when he casually just walked though the defenders and laid the ball in the basket like an elephant. He also used to break the backboards when he dunked due to his weight and that is absolutely a sight to be seen.
6. Wilt Chamberlain
The only basketball player to ever score 100 points in a single game and averaging 50 points one season Wilt Chamberlain has earned some almost superhuman stats following his 15-year career. Some rumors claim he could benchpress 600 pounds and deadlift even more. How much truth there is to these claims I have no idea but one thing I do know is that he was an extremely powerful guy.
Wilt discovered a new way to perform the free throw where he threw the ball at the basket then took 2 steps and slammed it into the net and because of that, the NBA had to change their rules so he wouldn’t be so dominant.
5. Most Powerful Athletes Ever – Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor is a Russian MMA fighter who went undefeated for over 10 years while fighting the best of the best. He made his name while fighting for the organization PRIDE in Japan where he was Heavyweight champion between 2003 and 2007.
Fedor often times had a physical disadvantage due to his “normal” size of 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) but that never stopped him and he usually overwhelmed his opponents with his strength and technique. And even though he has gone a little bit past his “best before” mark and round up a bunch of losses lately his time in PRIDE will never be undone and he will forever be remembered as one of the most dominant fighters ever.
Since he’s one of the most dominant fighters in probably the toughest sport there is, does that make him the best fighter the world has ever seen?
4. Mike ”Iron” Tyson
Mike Tyson in his prime was a true predator. He packed a crazy punch and had some unbelievable head movement. He won his first 19 fights by knockout and became the youngest heavyweight champion ever.
I could watch his knockouts all day they were so raw, fast and powerful it’s crazy. And when putting together a list of the most powerful athletes ever you just cannot miss out on Mike Tyson.
3. Most Powerful Athletes Ever – Usain Bolt
I remember the day Usain Bolt broke the world record on 100m sprint. The time was 9.69 and you just could not think of anyone beating that time. But then he did it himself with a time of 9.58.
During his prime, he was just so powerful and dominant. Resulting in him being an 11-time world champion and 9 time Olympic gold medalist.
2. Bo Jackson
Coming from America and being a former multi athlete Bo Jackson was extremely talented. He played in both the NBA and the MLB. Sadly his career ended early due to an injury he got while playing football. But just imagine what he could have accomplished if he played longer.
He is the only player to be named an allstar in both baseball and football. Bo Jackson may not be the most powerful athlete in the sense of strength but he definitely deserves a second place on this list due to his athletic talent, just being able to play at such a high level in 2 sports is very impressive.
1. Most Powerful Athletes Ever – Alexandr Karelin
This man was so dominant in his sport of wrestling that no one even scored a point against him during a 10 year period. He regularly lifted his opponents up and threw them around like it was nothing which is even more impressive when you realize they weighed around 300 lbs (136kg). He got the nickname “The experiment” due to his superhuman strength and opponents dreaded meeting him. If watching Karelin wrestle doesn’t get you hyped I don’t know what will. He went undefeated his whole career until the Olympic games 2000 when he lost by 1 point to American wrestler Rulon Gardner. But up until that point, there was never really a close second!