Richard Hoffer

If Muhammad Ali was in his time the most famous person in the world, it was as much a tribute to his talent for provocation as to his boxing.

When Mickey Mantle died in 1995, a nation of fans grieved and were forced to confront just what it was that made the New York Yankees' star mean so much to so many people.

As anticipation builds for Floyd Mayweather's May 2 showdown with Manny Pacquiao, we take a look back at his 2007 bout against Oscar De La Hoya, a match that pitted Mayweather against the sport's other superstar of the time and—like Floyd vs. Manny—drew wide attention from beyond boxing. Mayweather-De La Hoya set a record for pay-per-view buys (2.4 million) that still stands and generated around $136 million in revenue. Seven years later, Mayweather remains undefeated, and he and Pacquiao seem poised to eclipse those numbers.

This SI 60 examines Mike Tyson before his 2002 title bout against Lennox Lewis, when he may have been on the verge of a breakdown -- or just a really smart promoter.

The players' strike ended the 1994 season prematurely. But here's how things should have wrapped up in what would have been one of the sport's greatest ever years.