1. Floyd Mayweather, 49-0 (26), Estimated net worth: $650
OFFICIALLY the highest earning athlete in any sport for the past three years, the self-professed “TBE [The Best Ever]” raked in an astonishing $220m for May’s record-breaking clash with Filipino star, Manny Pacquiao alone. The newly retired five-division world champion credits longtime associate and influential boxing advisor, Al Haymon, with transforming his financial fortunes, after the PBC guru assisted in buying him out of his contract with Top Rank’s Bob Arum in April 2006, for just $750,000. The decision transformed Mayweather from “Pretty Boy” into the “Money” persona fans see today, and cemented his status as the premier box-office attraction in the fight game. Megamoney paydays banked by the Michigan-born star include $25m against Oscar De La Hoya in 2007, almost $60m for 2009’s Juan Manuel Marquez fight and an eye-watering $80m for his back-to-back fights with Marcos Maidana in 2014. For his career swansong against Andre Berto in September, Mayweather took a modest $32m dollars. At time of writing Floyd insists he remains retired and focused on his role within Mayweather Promotions, and will not be lured back to the ring in 2016 under any circumstances.
[sources: TheRichest.com / Boxrec]
