Following a month in which we saw Gennady Golovkin have the toughest fight of his career while barely beating Daniel Jacobs, we can look ahead to an April in which Vasyl Lomachenko takes on Jason Sosa, Anthony Joshua clashes with Wladimir Klitschko for heavyweight supremacy, and Shawn Porter ? who made $1 million in his last fight vs. Keith Thurman ? tries to get back on track vs. Andre Berto.
Since March?s list was published, we?ve seen some slight movements in the Pound-For-Pound Moneymakers list, and (big news here), we?ve extended the list to 15 and made it a monthly (instead of a bi-monthly) feature.
Gennady Golovkin, left, barely beat Daniel Jacobs last month. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
As a reminder, here?s who we would rank if this list was a regular Pound-For-Pound list.
1. Vasyl Lomachenko (and here?s why)
2. Andre Ward
3. Gennady Golovkin
4. Sergey Kovalev
5. Terence Crawford
6. Roman ?Chocolatito? Gonzalez
7. Canelo Alvarez
8. Keith Thurman
9. Guillermo Rigondeaux
10. Manny Pacquiao
But just because you?re the best boxer, that doesn?t mean you?re the best box-office draw. Before he lost to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai last month, Roman ?Chocolatito? Gonzalez, who made $550,000, would have been on this list. But now, it seems like it?ll be tough for him to ever exceed that career-high purse, considering he?s coming off a defeat ? even if most observers believed he actually won the fight ? in one of the smallest weight classes in the sport. Meanwhile, we still can?t find room on the list for the likes of Danny Garcia, Leo Santa Cruz or Carl Frampton.
With that said, here are the sport?s Top 15 Pound-For-Pound Moneymakers (here?s how we ranked them in March).
Note: These rankings, which are published every month, are based on past fight purses, potential future bouts and opponents, and where they currently stand in boxing’s pecking order.
1. Canelo Alvarez (previously No. 1): We?re still waiting for him to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in May, but assuming he wins that, he?ll need to fight Gennady Golovkin in the fall or risk the wrath of the entire boxing world. Late last month, his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, said he?ll likely be less generous with his offer to Golovkin.
2. Gennady Golovkin (previously No. 2): He?s coming off a $2.5 million payday in beating Jacobs, but now, De La Hoya says, his eight-figure guarantee for fighting Alvarez is off the table and, instead, the two sides will have to negotiate a percentage of the pot. The Golovkin-Jacobs PPV fight received 170,000 buys, only slightly more than Golovkin vs. David Lemiuex in 2015.
3. Andre Ward (previously No. 3): His team has finally begun negotiations for a Sergey Kovalev rematch, and though he made a $5 million purse in beating Kovalev by decision, it?ll be interesting to see how much he?s worth for this fight, considering the first bout disappointed with only 160,000 PPV buys. What about a Golovkin fight?
4. Wladimir Klitschko-Anthony Joshua (previously No. 4): They?ll battle in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on April 29, and both should make massive paydays. The only question before the fight: Is Showtime or HBO (or both?) going to earn the TV rights in the U.S.?
5. Manny Pacquiao (previously No. 5): He went searching for a supposed $38 million deal to fight Amir Khan in the United Arab Emirates (much to the consternation of his promoter, Bob Arum), and now that the deal that never was fell through, it sounds like Pacquiao, once again, could be fighting the unknown Jeff Horn.
Keith Thurman, right, squeaked by Danny Garcia with a split decision win last month. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
6. Keith Thurman previously No. 6): After making $1.5 million to beat Danny Garcia as an average of 3.71 million and a peak of 5.1 million people watched on CBS, Thurman is in a good spot. He?s offered to fight Pacquiao ? a fight we imagine Pacquiao would have little interest in ? but otherwise, a matchup vs. the Kell Brook-Errol Spence winner would be fun.
7. Sergey Kovalev (previously No. 7): Losing to Ward in November, albeit controversially, has put Kovalev at a disadvantage in negotiations for a rematch. He made a minimum of $2 million to match up with Ward the first time, but now that Ward holds a victory over him, Kovalev might be in a tighter spot as the B-side.
8. Deontay Wilder (previously No. 8): Though he wants to fight the Joshua-Klitschko winner, the mandatory opponent for Wilder?s heavyweight title is Bermane Stiverne, the man who Wilder already beat to win the belt in the first place. Wilder made $1 million the first time he fought Stiverne, and he?d probably make more for a rematch. But it?s not nearly as much as Wilder would make vs. Joshua or Klitschko.
9. Vasyl Lomachenko (previously No. 9): He?s a massive -2500 favorite to beat Jason Sosa this Saturday on HBO, but Lomachenko ? who made $1 million in his last fight by stopping Nicholas Walters ? has also attracted the attention of lightweight titlist Mikey Garcia. If Lomachenko ever moves from 130 pounds to 135, a fight with Garcia could be amazing.
Terence Crawford is set to take on Felix Diaz in May. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
10. Terence Crawford (previously unranked): He?s fallen on this list the last few months because, after beating Viktor Postol last year and earning $1.3 million in the process, there aren?t many high-profile fights at 140 pounds. Crawford will meet 2008 Olympian Felix Diaz in May before needing to determine if he wants to move up to the 147-pound welterweight limit.
11. Daniel Jacobs (previously unranked): Making a career-high $1.75 million to fight Golovkin last month, Jacobs performed well and, in many eyes (including mine) did enough to score the upset. But he didn?t get the victory, and now if he wants a rematch with Golovkin, he?ll probably have to wait a while. But a contest vs. David Lemieux would be fun to watch on premium cable.
12. Adrien Broner (previously No. 10): He?d like to face Manny Pacquiao ? telling Bob Arum recently ?to make my money right, and we?ll have a nice fight? ? but failing that, Broner has plenty of potential opponents at welterweight. Against the weight class? elite, he?d probably be the underdog, but he also knows how to promote himself and make himself a few more big-time paydays.
13. Kell Brook (previously unranked): After making millions to get his face broken by Gennady Golovkin last year, Brook could have left behind the welterweight division for good. Instead, he?s fighting a rising star in Errol Spence, who also happens to be a guy who?s not well known outside of the U.S. and is your typical high-risk, low-reward fighter for Brook. But people are pumped to see this fight.
17,000 tickets sold on first day for Kell Brook?s defence of IBF World Welter title v Errol Spence at Bramall Lane in Sheffield Sat. May 27
? Michael Woods (@Woodsy1069) March 31, 2017
14. Mikey Garcia (previously unranked): After sitting out a total of 30 months, Garcia is coming off a lightweight title win, where he earned $375,000 vs. Dejan Zlaticanin. Now, Garcia wants Jorge Linares in a unification title bout, the biggest money fight that can be made in the 135-pound division.
15. Errol Spence (previously unranked): He made a career-high $250,000 in his last fight vs. Leonard Bundu last August. He?ll likely make plenty more vs. Brook, and if he wins the fight, Spence would take another large leap toward stardom.
