Table of Contents
- Business magazine Forbes released the list of the biggest earners in the sporting world
- Whereas no boxer appeared in the top ten, there are actually three boxers in the top 50
- Canelo Alvarez was the highest-paid boxer in the world as per the report
Business magazine Forbes released the list of the biggest earners in the sporting world in 2024, with the three highest-paid boxers included.
Football star Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list with staggering earnings. Whereas no boxer appeared in the top ten, there are actually three boxers in the top 50. Here, we’ve listed the boxers and their earnings, so read on.
1. Canelo Alvarez
Canelo Alvarez. Photo/ Sporting News.
Leading the way on the list of the highest-paid boxers in 2024 is Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The Mexican fought twice during the assessed period, recording victories against John Ryder and Jermell Charlo. His total in-ring earnings for those two fights was a whopping $75 million. He also received an extra $10 million from endorsements and sponsorship deals. This means that his total earnings over the last twelve months was $85 million.
While the aforementioned figure is huge, it saw him rank fourteenth on Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes in the last one year. Cristiano Ronaldo, who tops the list earned a total of $260 million.
Canelo Alvarez has been a key figure in the boxing world since the late 2000s and it’s not difficult to understand why he is one of the biggest earners in the sport. The Mexican is the only boxer to become undisputed champion at super middleweight and has held world championships in four different weight classes.
2. Anthony Joshua
Next on the list of the highest-paid boxers is Anthony Joshua. The Briton heavyweight trails Alvarez by just two places on Forbes highest-paid athletes of the last twelve months. He fought three times during that period, recording victories over Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and former UFC fighter Francis Ngannou. He reportedly earned $75 million for the fights. On top of that, he also received an additional $8 million from sponsorship and endorsements.
Joshua is a two-time former unified world heavyweight championship and seemed to have suffered a huge setback in his career when he lost against Oleksandr Usyk twice in 2021 and 2022. However, he bounced back stronger and went on to recorded four consecutive wins before suffering a shock defeat in the hands of Daniel Dubois. His pro boxing record is currently 28-4. The only other boxer to beat AJ was Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019 and the Briton did make up for the loss by winning their second fight that same year.
Anthony Joshua is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. Photo/ Goal.com.
Joshua has made a lot of money over the years from his boxing career but his career-high payday will definitely be against Tyson Fury. The two Britons have been on a collision course for a decade now.
3. Tyson Fury
One of the most popular fighters in the world right now, you expect to see Tyson Fury on the list of highest-paid boxers. Fury boxed just once from May 2023 to the time Forbes produced their list. He faced Francis Ngannou on 28 October 2023, in Riyadh, securing a controversial split decision win.
The Gypsy King made a whopping $42 million from that one fight, which shows just how big it was. He also walked away with $8 million from sponsorship revenues, which means his total earnings were $50 million.
Fury returned to action a few days ago and faced Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk. The fight went up to twelve rounds where Usyk won by split decision. Even though Fury was the loser, he won in the purse as he received a cool $100 million. Usyk, on the other hand, received $45 million.
Having received such a massive pay in their first meeting, it would be a surprise not to see Fury appear on next year’s Forbes list.
Tyson Fury made $100 million from his first fight against Oleksandr Usyk. Photo/MMA Fighting
Conclusion
In conclusion, only three boxers appeared on this year’s Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes in the world. The list was dominated by athletes from football and basketball, but we could see that change in next year’s release considering the big boxing matches that have taken place in the past few months.
