Four boxers are among Forbes’ Top 100 highest paid athletes for 2020.
Tyson Fury was No. 11 and fellow heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder were Nos. 19 and 20. MMA star Conor McGregor was No. 16. Canelo Alvarez, at No. 30, was the only other boxer or mixed martial artist in the Top 100.
Tennis player Roger Federer was No. 1.
Boxing/MMA (ranked together) had five athletes in the Top 100, making it the fifth highest-rated sport. Basketball had 35 in the Top 100, American football 31.
The earnings period runs from June 1, 2019 and June 1, 2020.
Massive thanks to my team and god, @Forbes #11 🙏🏻 not a bad year. pic.twitter.com/4NWhAiu8y4
— TYSON FURY (@Tyson_Fury) May 30, 2020
Here are the earnings of the five combat sports athletes on the list:
- Fury – $57 million ($50 million in purses and $7 million in endorsements).
- McGregor – $48 million ($32 million in purses and $16 million in endorsements).
- Joshua – $47 million ($36 million in purses and $11 million in endorsements).
- Wilder – $46.5 million ($46 million in purses and $500,000 in endorsements).
- Alvarez – $37 million ($35 million in purses and $2 million in endorsements).
Federer earned a total of $106.3 million, $6.3 million in winnings and $100 million in endorsements. Cristiano Ronaldo ($105 million), Lionel Messi ($104 million), Neymar ($95.5) and LeBron James ($88.2 million) round out the Top 5.
The 100 highest paid athletes earned a total of $3.6 billion, 9% below the 2019 total.
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down most sports, which obviously impacts earnings. For example, only one baseball player (Clayton Kershaw) appears in the Top 100, compared to 15 in 2019, as the start of the season has been postponed.
Some boxers also have missed out on expected paydays. For example, Alvarez would’ve fought earlier this month.