On September 4, reigning world record holders Armand Duplantis (Pole Vault) and Karsten Warholm (400m hurdles) will face off in an exhibition 100m sprint. In the past, there have been other examples of such matches across sporting disciplines
In 2007, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played an exhibition match termed ‘Battle of the Surfaces’ which saw the court being divided into two, with one part being grass and the other clay. Nadal won the three-setter in front of a home crowd in Spain
In 1973, Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs played an exhibition match called ‘Battle of the Sexes’. King won the match in straight sets, a victory that helped popularise women’s tennis at a time when it was ridiculed
In a bid to decide the fastest man in the world, Canada’s Donovan Bailey and USA’s Michael Johnson faced off in a 150m race in 1997. In front of a packed Skydome, Bailey pipped Johnson in the sprint
2017 saw boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and MMA fighter Conor McGregor fight it out in a professional boxing match. Mayweather won the match by Technical Knockout
A year later, YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul boxed it out in the ring. In the end, the match was called a draw. This was the first match of a two-bout contract signed between the two. Both have also faced each other later in professional matches