boxing
$85 million

Controversial American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. made a fortune in 12 months thanks to just two fights won - with Victor Ortiz in September ($40 million) and with Miguel Cotto in May ($45 million). Moreover, he spent a total of less than an hour in the ring, fully justifying his nickname Money. The world champion in the second welterweight earns such huge sums thanks not only to his boxing talent, but also to his promotional company. Mayweather Promotions organizes Floyd's fights, taking profits from ticket sales and media rights. It is curious that Mayweather Jr. is currently serving a three-month prison sentence in Las Vegas for domestic violence: in a fit of jealousy, the boxer beat his girlfriend.

boxing
$62 million

Another boxer at the top of the ratings who earned several tens of millions in two fights. True, compared to Mayweather, Pacquiao’s fees turned out to be somewhat more modest - fights with Juan Manuel Marquez and Tim Bradley brought Manny $56 million. He completely lost the June fight with Bradley, suffering his first failure in the last seven years, but even this did not affect Pacquiao's image. The boxer-congressman remains attractive for endorsement deals - Nike, Hewlett-Packard, Monster Energy and Hennessy added $6 million to Pacquiao's bank account within a year.

3.
golf
$59.4 million

Having earned $100 million in prize money in his career, he has been at the top of the Forbes list since 2001, but the hegemony of the world's most famous golfer has come to an end. Compared to 2009, which became the most financially prosperous year, his earnings were halved. This is partly due to Woods' results on the playing field: he could not win a single PGA tournament for 2.5 years. Tiger managed to break his bad streak only in March of this year, when he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando. Things didn't go well for Woods with his own golf course design bureau. To top it all off, Tag Heuer and Gillette did not renew their advertising contracts with him.

4.
basketball
$53 million

Due to the NBA lockout, James' salary was cut by 20%, and this is the only thing LeBron has left to complain about. The three-time MVP of the season and the main NBA star attracts money to himself like a magnet. Personal contracts with Nike, Coca-Cola, State Farm and McDonald's, an agreement to promote Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins in Asia, as well as a partnership with Fenway Sports Management brought him tens of millions of dollars and a stake in the English football club Liverpool.

5.
tennis
$52.7 million

The Swiss has the most impressive sponsorship pool among athletes. Nine companies, including Nike, Rolex, Wilson, Credit Suisse and others, pay him $30 million annually. He receives another $15 million from other advertising contracts and activities not related to professional performance on the court. His earnings include only $7.7 million in prize money. Federer is the greatest tennis player of our time, having won 16 Grand Slam tournaments and earned $71 million in prize money in his career.

6.
basketball
$52.3 million

During the 2011/2012 season, the Los Angeles Lakers guard received the highest salary in the NBA for the second year in a row. But due to the lockout, his annual salary of $25.2 million was reduced by $5 million. Bryant’s financial situation was aggravated by his divorce from his wife in December. Kobe's wife Vanessa received three mansions in California, the total value of which is estimated at $18.8 million.

golf
$47.8 million

Mickelson was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in May in recognition of his extraordinary achievements, which included 40 PGA victories, $66 million in prize money and four major titles. Mickelson earns more than $30 million annually from endorsement deals with Callaway, Barclay's, KPMG, Exxon, Rolex and Amgen/Pfizer. He also became the face of the arthritis drug Enbrel when the disease struck him in 2010.

8.
football
$46 million

In January, the 37-year-old footballer extended his contract with Los Angeles Galaxy for another two years, which, it seems, will be his last in professional football. But off the field, Beckham is more successful than anyone else. David recently added Burger King, Sainsbury's and Samsung to his many advertising partners. Beckham became even more attractive to sponsors after he was named ambassador of the 2012 Olympics in London. The footballer does not forget to run his own business. This year he is together launched his own line of underwear with H&M. At the end of his career, Beckham is considering the possibility of acquiring an MLS club.

9.
football
$42.5 million

Ronaldo receives money in approximately the same proportion from Real Madrid and his sponsors. Contracts with Nike, Castrol, Konami and other companies bring the Portuguese $22 million annually. In addition, Cristiano has the largest army of fans on Facebook among athletes.

American football
$42.4 million

The Indianapolis Colts paid Manning $26.4 million in 2011, although he missed the season due to neck surgery. In March, the free agent quarterback signed with the Denver Broncos, signing a five-year contract worth $96 million. However, Manning will now have to pass physical fitness tests in order to receive a salary. Nevertheless, Peyton remains one of the top stars in the NFL, receiving $10 million annually from Reebok, Sony, Wheaties, DirecTV, Gatorade and Papa John's.

11. Lionel Messi (soccer) - $39 million
12. Haloti Ngata (American football) - $37.3 million
13. Larry Fitzgerald (American football) - $36.8 million
14. Ndamukon Suh (American football) - $36 million
15. Charles Johnson (American football) - $34.4 million
16. Rafael Nadal (tennis) - $33.2 million
17. Mario Williams (American football) - $33.2 million
18. Alex Rodriguez (baseball) - $33 million
19. Fernando Alonso (Formula 1) - $32 million
20. Valentino Rossi (motorcycle racing) - $30 million
21. Michael Schumacher (Formula 1) - $30 million
22. Darrelle Revis (American football) - $28.3 million
23. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR) - $28.2 million
24. Wladimir Klitschko (boxing) - $28 million
25. Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1) - $28
26. Maria Sharapova (tennis) - $27.9 million
27. Sam Bradford (American football) - $27.8 million
28. Tom Brady (American football) - $27.1 million
29. Joe Mayer (baseball) - $27 million
30. Eli Manning (American football) - $26.6 million
31. Mahendra Singh-Dhoni (cricket) - $26.5 million
32. LeMarr Woodley (American football) - $26.5 million
33. Dwight Howard (basketball) - $25.6 million
34. Kevin Durant (basketball) - $25.5 million
35. Dwyane Wade (basketball) - $24.7 million
36. Derek Jeter (baseball) - $24.5 million
37. Wayne Rooney (soccer) - $24.3 million
38. Mark Sanchez (American football) - 24.2 million
39. Ishiro Suzuki (baseball) - $24 million
40. Sisi Sabathia (baseball) - $23.8 million
41. Joan Santana (baseball) - $23.8 million
42. Jeff Gordon (NASCAR) - $23.6 million
43. Ben Roethlisberger (American football) - $23.3 million
44. Carmelo Anthony (basketball) - $22.9 million
45. Mark Techeira (baseball) - $22.8 million
46. ​​Amare Studmeier (basketball) - $22.7 million
47. Tony Stewart (NASCAR) - $22.3 million
48. Luke Donald (golf) - $22.2 million
49. Vernon Wells (baseball) - $22.1 million
50. Michael Vick (American football) - $22 million

In second place is Manny Pacquiao, Cristiano Ronaldo closes the top three.

The American magazine Forbes has released an updated ranking of the highest paid athletes in the world. It takes into account income received in the period from June 1, 2014 to June 1, 2015. To assess the condition, salaries, prize money, various bonuses, as well as advertising and sponsorship contracts are taken into account. As last year, the list was topped by American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. And only one athlete from Russia entered the top 100 - tennis player Maria Sharapova.

The leader of the ranking is Floyd Mayweather Jr., according to the publication, who earned $300 million during the reporting period. The absolute majority of this amount was received as a result of his fights, mainly for the so-called “fight of the century” against Manny Pacquiao, which took place in May of this year. Mayweather Jr. received $15 million from advertising contracts.

In second place is the American boxer’s opponent in the May fight, Manny Pacquiao. His annual income was 160 million.

Third and fourth places are also assigned to one sporting competition, only football. The podium is completed by Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo (almost $80 million), followed by Barcelona player Lionel Messi (73.8 million).

The only Russian athlete, Maria Sharapova, who is also one of two women in the top 100 rankings, took 26th place in the updated list with a fortune of 29.7 million. Moreover, 23 million of this amount is income from advertising contracts. Last year, the tennis player ranked 34th.

The second representative of the fair sex is Sharapova’s colleague and eternal rival, American Serena Williams. She ranks 47th with an income of 24.6 million.

If Floyd has a god, it might be a dollar sign. He doesn't hide it, that's why Mayweather was nicknamed Money. Floyd Mayweather is the highest paid professional boxer in the world. He opened many gyms and even a strip club, where he often spends much more time than on the machines.

“Just look at the numbers in boxing and MMA, and you will understand who is at the top level,” Mayweather usually brushes aside such jokes.

However, loving banknotes does not mean knowing how to use them. With all this financial splendor, Floyd has big problems with the American tax authorities. This is not least why he agreed to fight Conor McGregor last year, whom he successfully knocked out on August 27 - this victory was the boxer’s 50th, brought him $275 million and allowed him to end his career as an undefeated legend.

2. His tactic is to use his brain in the ring.

It would seem that such a physically powerful fighter should thrash his opponents in every possible way. But Floyd is not that aggressive in the ring. Instead of animal strength, rage, and clinch, he uses his brain, often exhausting his opponent and skillfully taking advantage of his mistakes. The most dangerous thing in a fight with Mr. Money is his counterattacks, which always reach their target. The fight with Oscar De La Hoya is indicative - a boxer who, it would seem, dominated the ring for all 12 rounds.

“The more you win, the more you need to work!”

But this was not the case, and Mayweather was awarded the victory by split decision. His shots were more accurate, his defense was perfect, and his tactics of attrition bore excellent results. Therefore, Mayweather became a big problem for McGregor, because the latter always counted on a quick victory.

3. He's not afraid to play dirty.

But it cannot be said that in his life Floyd is guided only by reason and fair play. Born into a family of professional athletes and at the same time professional criminals (his father was in prison, his mother was on cocaine), Mayweather often violated public order. This manifested itself in life (he beat his girlfriend, for which he received 90 days of arrest), and it manifested itself on the battlefield - in the fight with Victor Ortiz, Mayweather used prohibited elbow strikes about 16 times, and no punishment for this followed for him.

4. He takes the fight calmly and gives his opponent a chance to win.

“I haven’t fought in a couple of years and I’m 40 years old now. I'm much older than him. So this factor can play into his hands,” Floyd said before the historic fight with Conor McGregor. Unlike the angry McGregor, Floyd behaves calmly. Apparently, he does not take his hot temper into public. Floyd adequately assesses McGregor's chances, refers to his age, and does not think of proving anything with this fight - his biography, which included a victory over the same Oscar De La Hoya, the notorious Conor McGregor and the famous Pac Man, Filipino Manny Pacquiao, he I've already proven everything. This indicates a professional approach.

5. He goes towards his goal, no matter what.

“All my life all I heard was that Floyd was scared, that Floyd would lose, that I was a coward, that I was afraid of everything. You've all heard these stories. What I've done? I shoved all those words back, shoved them back down their throats!” - famous words of Mayweather. In the end, no matter how controversial Mayweather may be, he should be given his due - he set a path for himself and did not deviate from it.

“In the gym, I always had to make sure that I was training harder than my next opponent. Perhaps that is why no one defeated me in the ring. And when the training seemed completely brutal, I began to think about my family and that its well-being depended on how I carried out the fight. This is the best motivation for me."

He wanted to become the best boxer in the world, and he became it. He wanted to become the highest paid boxer, and he became one too. Not everyone is sympathetic to his moral character, but any man should adopt the same sense of purpose that has always accompanied Mayweather: he was and perhaps will remain the greatest fighter in the world.

The latest boxing match, which took place in the famous Las Vegas, between the American athlete Mayweather Jr. and the Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, as analysts predicted, became one of the highest-grossing and widely publicized boxing fights. After all, the total income from the title fight, which had three welterweight championship belts at stake, amounted to more than $520 million. The organizers of the spectacular fight were able to receive:

1. More than $400 million for the sale of the championship fight television broadcast for Showtime and HBO.
2. About $73 million was the profit from ticket sales. It is worth noting that for the previous fight, which took place in 2013, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul Alvarez, a boxer from Mexico, entered the ring; the organizers of the fight were able to receive only 23 million dollars from ticket sales, which is exactly 50 million less highly publicized fight.
3. The organizers brought in just over $30 million from the sale of the boxing match broadcast abroad.
4. Approximately 5.7 million was the income from title sponsors of the boxing fight.
5. Advertising revenue amounted to over 12 million euros.

Calculating all the profits, it comes out to a very decent amount, just over 500 million dollars, which is currently considered as the highest grossing in the world history of boxing matches

What is the boxers' fee?

True boxing connoisseurs were able to enjoy the spectacular fight 100%, as indicated by numerous reviews. However, the question “How much did Mayweather actually get for the Pacquiao fight?” remained undiscovered for most connoisseurs of this sport. For those who do not yet have this information and would like to know how much the 38-year-old American athlete was able to earn for this spectacular fight, we hasten to inform you that the fee of the boxer who defeated the Filipino on points was just over 210 million dollars.

The salary of the Filipino athlete Manny Pacquiao, who recently turned 36 years old, was approximately $140 million.

Will boxers continue their sports career?

Both the Filipino and American boxers were able to fully realize their potential in the sports ring, which was undoubtedly appreciated by all fans of this sport. But, unfortunately, after the end of the fight, both boxers announced that they intended to end their boxing career soon.

Manny Pacquiao, speaking to reporters, explained that he was leaving the sport for the following reasons:

• serious shoulder injury;
• solid for an athlete of age;
• desire to spend more time with your family.

In addition to the above reasons, the Filipino boxer explained that it is quite problematic to combine the work of a congressman and improve his boxing skills, which is why the decision was made to end his sports career.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., to whom fans gave the nickname Handsome, made the same decision after another 49th victory. However, many believe that the world champion in five weight categories will still return to the boxing ring, because the athlete had a goal to break the record set by R. Marciano. It was this boxer who set the record for the longest unbeaten boxing match, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s goal was to break it.

The American financial and economic magazine Forbes cited the results of an analytical study on the incomes of the highest paid athletes of the last decade. The total earnings of athletes, both active and those who completed their professional careers before 2005, were considered.

The first billionaire athlete in history, an American golfer, broke another monetary record. Tiger Woods, which was the leader of Forbes' annual final lists from 2001 to 2012. The 39-year-old Woods' 10-year earnings were estimated at $845 million. The golfer earned the bulk of his fortune through commercial collaborations with many well-known brands. And this despite the fact that in the last two years the American was forced to miss tournaments due to injuries and now ranks only 292nd in the world golf rankings.

The 38-year-old American boxer is not in poverty either. Floyd Mayweather Jr., who won world titles in five weight divisions (from lightweight to welterweight). In ten years, according to Forbes, the boxer nicknamed Handsome earned $660 million. Mayweather received almost half of this amount over the past year thanks to his fight with Filipino Manny Pacquiao (May 2, Las Vegas). Having fought his 49th consecutive victorious fight on September 12 in Las Vegas, Floyd ended his sports career. But there are rumors that the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world will return to the ring to break Rocky Marciano's record for the longest unbeaten streak.

Salary of the 37-year-old Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant over ten years is valued at $475 million.

Next, as income decreases, the following names are given: basketball player LeBron James(472 million), golfer Phil Mickelson(468 million), tennis player Roger Federer (455 million), football player David Beckham (441 million), boxer Manny Pacquiao(432 million), football players Cristiano Ronaldo(407 million) and Lionel Messi(350 million).

Among the twenty most enterprising athletes on the planet are representatives of such sports as tennis, motorcycle racing, auto racing, baseball and American football. The only girl in the top twenty was a 28-year-old Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova. She ranks 18th in the ranking (following Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal with 253 million), and her total income over ten years is estimated at $250 million. According to Forbes, the last year was the most successful for the athlete: from June 2014 to June 2015, she earned 29.7 million. Maria Sharapova has been the highest paid athlete in the world for eleven years, since winning Wimbledon at age 17.

In total, the 20 highest-earning athletes earned $7.7 billion over the past decade.