Sportico, a sports business media company, released its list of the top 50 highest-paid athletes of all time recently and in their rankings, seven boxers were included in the elite directory.
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The top 50 athletes who are the highest revenue earners with their inflation-adjusted income, respective countries and sports:
1 Michael Jordan $3.3B (USA) basketball
2 Tiger Woods $2.5B (USA) golf
3 Arnold Palmer $1.7B (USA) golf
4 Jack Nicklaus $1.63B (USA) golf
5 Cristiano Ronaldo $1.58B (Portugal) soccer football
6 LeBron James $1.53B (USA) basketball
7 Lionel Messi $1.48B (Argentina) soccer football
8 Floyd Mayweather $1.41B (USA) boxing
9 Roger Federer $1.38B (Switzerland) tennis
10 Phil Mickelson $1.36B (USA) golf
11 Michael Schumacher $1.31B (Germany) Formula One racing
12 David Beckham $1.28B (England) soccer football
13 Kobe Bryant $1.05B (USA) basketball
13 Shaquille O'Neal $1.05B (USA) basketball
15 Greg Norman $1B (Australia) golf
16 Mike Tyson $875M (USA) boxing
17 Neymar $855M (Brazil) soccer football
18 Kevin Durant $850M (USA) basketball
19 Lewis Hamilton $790M (England) Formula One racing
20 Alex Rodriguez $745M (USA) baseball
21 Manny Pacquiao $725M (Philippines) boxing
22 Tom Brady $690M (USA) American football
23 Jeff Gordon $685M (USA) NASCAR racing
24 George Foreman $680M (USA) boxing
25 Valentino Rossi $675M (Italy) motorcycle racing
25 Peyton Manning $675M (USA) American football
27 Oscar De La Hoya $665M (USA) boxing
28 Rafael Nadal $660M (Spain) tennis
29 Stephen Curry $655M (USA) basketball
30 Derek Jeter $645M (USA) baseball
31 Ernie Els $625M (South Africa) golf
32 Dale Earnhardt Jr. $620M (USA) NASCAR racing
33 Conor McGregor $615M (Ireland) mixed martial arts
33 Magic Johnson $615M (USA) basketball
35 Kevin Garnett $610M (USA) basketball
35 Fernando Alonso $610M (Spain) Formula One racing
35 Gary Player $610M (South Africa) golf
38 Evander Holyfield $600M (USA) boxing
38 Serena Williams $600M (USA) tennis
40 Andre Agassi $590M (USA) tennis
41 Novak Djokovic. $575M (Serbia) tennis
42 Russell Westbrook $550M (USA) basketball
43 Kimi Raikkonen $545M (Germany) Formula One racing
43 Rory McIlroy $545M (Northern Ireland) golfer
45 Dwyane Wade $540M (USA) basketball
46 Drew Brees. $535M (USA) American football
47 Carmelo Anthony $530M (USA) basketball
48 Canelo Alvarez $525M (Mexico) boxing'
49 Chris Paul $520M (USA) basketball
50 James Harden $510M (USA) basketball
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The Top 50 income earners have raised a combined $45.9 billion when adjusted for inflation until the end of 2022. They represent nine different sports and 17 countries around the world. NBA players lead the list with 13 athletes, headed by Michael Jordan and his Nike earnings. Serena Williams is the only female athlete to make the cast, while Conor McGregor is the sole MMA fighter on the list.
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Leading on the list of the richest boxers was Floyd “Money” Mayweather, who entered at the No. 8 position with inflation-adjusted earnings of $1.41 billion.
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Basketball legend Michael Jordan ranked number one on the list with $3.3 billion in inflation-adjusted earnings.
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The following great boxing icons were also included on the exclusive list with their inflation-adjusted earnings:
16 Mike Tyson $875M
21 Manny Pacquiao $725M
24 George Foreman $680M
27 Oscar De La Hoya $665M
38 Evander Holyfield $600M
48 Canelo Alvarez $525M
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According to Sportico, earnings estimates are based on conversations with industry insiders, Sportico research and historical estimates in media outlets, such as Forbes and Sports Illustrated.
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They include salaries, bonuses, prize money, purses, endorsements, licensing, royalties, memorabilia, book deals, media, appearances and golf course design fees. Also included in their income are cash earned from equity stakes in sponsor companies.
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Sportico included earnings accumulated during their playing careers and retirement through 2022 and are adjusted for inflation. Earnings are estimated up to the time of their death for Arnold Palmer and Kobe Bryant. All earnings are pre-tax and before any fees for agents and lawyers are deducted.
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Sportico is a digital content platform providing sports industry news, data, insights, strategies, leadership and live media experiences for professionals in the $500 billion sports industry. Sportico has offices in New York and Los Angeles with reporters throughout the world committed to providing breaking news in the sports business industry covered by the world’s top journalists.
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