Never has Floyd Mayweather’s nickname been more appropriate.
“Money” earned more cash than any other athlete in the world over the past decade, according to Forbes Magazine.
Mayweather made $915 million during that period, $115 million more than the next highest-paid athlete, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. And remember: Mayweather fought only once – against MMA star Conor McGregor – after 2015, which means he left a lot of money on the table.
The former five-division titleholder reportedly made a good portion of his total – around $500 million – in two fights, against rival Manny Pacquiao in 2015 and against McGregor. Those fights generated more than 9 million pay-per-view buys.
Forbes reported that Mayweather generated $1.7 billion in pay-per-view revenue in his last 15 fights, beginning with Oscar De La Hoya in 2007.
Congratulations to every athlete on this list ! pic.twitter.com/FzqpE7sFxa
— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) December 24, 2019
His march toward ungodly riches began when he split with promoter Top Rank in 2006 and started his own company, Mayweather Promotions. He had to pay $750,000 to opt out of his contract. He soon dropped his “Pretty Boy Floyd” nickname, adopted “Money” and then made financial history.
Pacquiao landed at No. 8 on Forbes’ list for the decade at $435 million. No sport had more than two representatives on the list. According to Forbes, Pacquiao generated 20 million buys and around $1.3 billion in 25 pay-per-view fights.
What did Mayweather have to say about the news? He Tweeted simply, “Congratulations to every athlete on this list!”
Here is the Top 10:
$915 million – Floyd Mayweather (boxing)
$800 million – Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer)
$750 million – Lionel Messi (soccer)
$680 million – LeBron James (basketball)
$640 million – Roger Federer (tennis)
$615 million – Tiger Woods (golf)
$480 million – Phil Mickelson (golf)
$435 million – Manny Pacquiao (boxing)
$425 million – Kevin Durant (basketball)
$400 million – Lewis Hamilton (car racing)