Top Ten Rivalries in Sports.

1

Larry Bird Vs. Magic Johnson
Two of the greatest talents ever to play the game of Basketball dueled in the 80s. Their highly publicized rivalries brought glamor back to the NBA . Some go as far as saying that they saved the NBA from bankruptcy.

2

Kasparov vs Karpov
This is probably the greatest rivalry in Sport. It was a bitter rivalry that spanned 25 years.The interesting the thing was the clash of styles. Karpov was positional and intuitive while Kasparov was played very attacking and calculative chess. They provided great entertainment for fans through the years especially in the late 80s when it all started. Karpov fought Kasparov in three more world championship matches in 1986 (held in London and Leningrad), 1987 (held in Seville), and 1990 (held in New York City and Lyon). All three matches were extremely close: the scores were 11½ to 12½ (+4 −5 =15), 12 to 12 (+4 −4 =16), and 11½ to 12½ (+3 −4 =17) (Wikipedia) One particular tournament ,Linares 1994,Kasparov had said several days before the tournament that the winner could rightly be called the world champion of tournaments. Perhaps spurred on by this comment, Karpov played the best tournament of his life. He was undefeated and earned 11 points out of 13 possible (Wikipedia)

3

Barcelona vs Real Madrid.
They call it EL-Classico. This very celebrated match between Real Madrid and Barcelona is a money spinning encounter. It began with the battle over the transfer of Di Stefeno with Real Madrid dominating in the 50s and 60s. Johan Cruyff's Total football yield success with the 1992 Champions League victory. Certainly, this fixture has influenced policies of both clubs in trying to outdo each other. From the Galacticos era to the hiring of the Special One, Mourinho. It also showcases some of the best talents in world football like Messi, Ronaldo etc.

4

Steffi Graff vs. Monica Seles.
A Rivalry so fierce that one almost paid the ultimate price. Monica Seles was stabbed by a deranged Steffi Graf fan in order her the advantage.She would later recover and make a come back but would never reach the form that made her a threat to Graff's total domination of the female tennis.

5

Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson.
Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis rivalry provided high drama during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

6

Chris Evert Vs. Martin Navratilova
Notable tennis rivalries were Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Boris Becker and John McEnroe. Nadal and Federer provided the latest splats.

7

Arnold Schwarzenegger Vs. Sergio Oliva.
Oliva then went on to win the Mr. Olympia title three years in a row, at 5 feet 10inches and at a contest weight that went from 235lbs up to his most massive at 255lbs. Oliva's 1968 Mr Olympia win was uncontested. A Guinness World Record that stands to this day. In 1969 he won his 3rd consecutive Mr Olympia by beating a Mr Europe, Mr International and Four time Mr Universe winner Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold tells of their first encounter in his 1977 autobiography 'Arnold the Education of a Bodybuilder'. "Then for the first time, I saw Sergio Oliva in person. It was as jarring, as if I'd walked into a wall. He was so huge, he was so fantastic, there was no way I could even think of beating him. I admitted my defeat and felt some of my pump go away. I tried. But I'd been so taken back by my first sight of Sergio Oliva that I think I settled for 2nd place before we walked out on the stage... I never like to admit defeat, but I thought Sergio was better. There were no two ways about it."However, Schwarzenegger won his first Mr. Olympia title by edging the Myth the following year with a score of 4-3 when Joe Weider switched judges at the very last minute. (Wikipedia)

8

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier.
The Fight of the Century and The Thrilla in Manila catch phrases that announces their fights. Both pugilists demonstrated a certain amount animosity against each other. The media naturally feed into the hype to create possibly the greatest rivalry in professional boxing.

9

India vs. Pakistan
Definitely no love lost here. India and Pakistan have fought three major wars, making for heated exchanges when they've faced off in the field of sports — most notably the eight times they've competed against each other in the Cricket World Cup. The Indians hold a 8-0 record against their arch-rivals in those contests, with an estimated 1 billion people tuning in to watch some matches.(Fox Sports)

10

Yankees vs. Red Sox