There isn’t a huge amount of crossover between boxing and Formula 1, although some of the most recognisable faces in both sports appreciate the talent of their fellow athletes.
British heavyweight Anthony Joshua is an investor in the Alpine Formula 1 team, while Lewis Hamilton has previously appreciated the work of Mexican boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez.
However, Formula 1 is becoming more and more glamorous, and the venues they race at, such as Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia, frequently host some of the biggest fights in the world.
Joshua has previously explained why F1 drivers shouldn’t train like boxers, but Damon Hill has now made a comparison between his fellow racers and one of the greatest of all time: Muhammad Ali.
Nicknamed ‘The Greatest’ for a reason, Ali’s 56-5 record would be the envy of any F1 driver on track.
Now, Hill has suggested that fellow British champion Nigel Mansell was the racer who came closest to reminding him of one of boxing’s greatest talents.
Damon Hill says Nigel Mansell reminded him most of Muhammad Ali in Formula 1
Hill was speaking on The Undercut Podcast and explained: “I’m trying to think of a Muhammad Ali driver who has come and gone, ‘I’m going to beat everyone. I’m the greatest.’
“Who have we had? I mean, Nigel Mansell comes the closest, I think. Maybe Ayrton [Senna], I don’t know.
“But as far as that sheer self-belief and announcing it to the world, there’s nobody faster than me.
“So, he’s [Ali] an exception in every regard, isn’t he? I mean, he was a personality. He was incredible. But it worked.
“The guy’s beaten before he’d even got in the ring, the opponent, because everyone loves that guy.
“And I think that’s Nigel. [Juan Manuel] Fangio said famously that he always thought he was better than everyone else, but he always thought he could be better.
“So, I mean and also Niki Lauda, his approach when he borrowed money to go racing was that the logic went like this.
“If you’re going to go racing, you have to believe you can win.”
Nigel Mansell once admitted wanting to watch ‘special’ Muhammad Ali fight Joe Frazier
Mansell had a fantastic career in Formula 1, but had to wait until 1992 to win his one and only championship with Williams.
He had made his debut 12 years earlier, and after winning the title, he immediately made the switch to IndyCar.
Mansell won the title in his first campaign in the United States as well, highlighting what a special racing talent he was.
In an interview with The Telegraph in 2007, Mansell was asked which sporting event he would pay the most to see.
He showed his admiration for Ali and answered: “I’d loved to have seen Muhammad Ali against Joe Frazier from ringside.
“I’m an avid boxing fan and have enjoyed watching the heavyweight division all my life.
“Ali was something special, an awesome man, but there were a few who were brilliant: Larry Holmes, George Foreman, Frazier.”
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