in 2003 and 2004, he ran a series for "the times" newspapers, analysing greatness in sport to answer the question "who is the greatest sports star of all time?" though his conclusion was muhammad ali, as part of the process; he interviewed and profiled sports stars from around the world, including ian botham, nick faldo, ben ainslie, michael phelps, martina navratilova, shane warne, alex ferguson, bobby charlton and lance armstrong. campbell later said that he "fell hook, line and sinker" for the armstrong legend. he subsequently worked with armstrong, campaigning for cancer charities, but drew criticism from armstrong's nemesis david walsh for being so supportive and defending him so passionately. campbell later said that walsh had been right.