SKY One reached the inevitable result in their quest to find the world's greatest sporting legend on Sunday night.

Muhammad Ali was always going to swat aside all challengers in the televised poll, just as he did opponents during his pomp as a heavyweight boxer.

The grace, eloquence and political power of Ali add to the legendary aura of a man who has been sadly gripped by Parkinson's disease and he remains the natural choice for such a prestigious accolade.

Aside from his engaging personality, as a sportsman Ali remained undefeated for ten years in the ring before his first defeat, to Joe Frazier.

He was also beaten by Ken Norton in 1973 but his only other losses in 61 bouts came during the extended twilight of his 21-year career, against Leon Spinks, Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick.

While an Ali victory was a foregone conclusion, my only irritation with polls of this kind is our obsession with nostalgia and an inability to recognise modern day sporting greatness.

Lance Armstrong's honourable wildcard entry on the day he clinched his seventh successive Tour de France - an incredible feat for somebody who had to learn how to ride a bike again after his fight against testicular cancer - was the correct decision by Sky's programme planners.

But, in certain sports, it seems there are stars whose greatness will never be surpassed - a little like Elvis Presley and the Beatles in an equivalent music contest but perhaps a little less justified.

Athletics, by its timed and measured nature, proves that sporting excellence continually evolves and the biggest problem I have with this rose-tinted recollection of the past is Pele's seemingly, unshiftable position as the world's greatest-ever footballer.

While appreciating the three-time World Cup winner's amazing goalscoring feats, I feel that the more intricate skills and mastery of games, performed at a quicker pace against fitter opponents, by the likes of Zidane and Ronaldinho in recent years deserve to finally unseat the rightly-esteemed Brazilian ambassador from his throne.

Diego Maradona, traditionally regarded as Pele's only possible equal, also has strong claims to an overdue overthrow.

If it is sacrilege to doubt Pele's supremacy, however, I will never accept my dad's assertion that George Best was the greatest football ever to set foot on the planet.

Like Pele, I can only judge Best's ability from TV footage but, as Paul Gascoigne proved in his latter years, no player could lead the former Manchester United winger's lifestyle these days and take to the Premiership field never mind help win a European Cup.

Despite being a massive England fan, I struggle too to appreciate why our World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore finished second behind Pele in Sky's football voting.

His lack of pace, no matter how clever he was, would surely be clinically exposed in the modern game.

In fact, only Armstrong from the final Sky short-list would make my sporting legends' top ten from those I have witnessed during my generation as a 31-year-old.

For me, no boxer, uneasily disregarding his unsavoury side, has been more spellbinding to watch than Mike Tyson because of his ability to spectacularly knock out any opponent during his 1980s' prime.

Equally, my early Olympic memories are dominated by Carl Lewis' multiple gold-medal heroics and, in my lifetime, nobody has reduced major golf tournaments into one-man shows like Tiger Woods.

Zidane would be my footballing choice, Frankie Dettori's seven-timer would get the nod in horse-racing, Michael Schumacher would be my top motor racing man and the colossus Jonah Lomu would receive my rugby vote.

However, when it comes to tennis, I must make one rose-tinted concession.

John McEnroe's greatness as a player may have been surpassed by modern stars such as Andre Aggasi, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer but, his passion for the sport, both as a player and now a pundit, make him the biggest tennis legend in my mind.

If you're thinking "You cannot be serious" well, that's the beauty of these debates.

Updated: 10:44 Tuesday, July 26, 2005