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Top 10 Richest Boxers in History

By · Updated 3 years ago

They all had rough lives, but hardship has taught them to be strong. Today, they are millionaires who enjoy life. How did the top 10 richest boxers become so well off after all? Some showed a good flair for business whereas others focused on knocking one opponent after another.

Make no mistake, though, because there is a fair amount of showmanship to go with each fighter. Mayweather, Canelo and Klitschko didn’t arrive at the top just by being strong fighters.

#1 Floyd Mayweather Jr: Richest Boxers Put to Shame

Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be the man who first dropped the idea that how much you win out of boxing is how well you market yourself. Today Jr. is definitely at the top of charts being the richest boxer in history. Having over $1 billion in net worth, Mayweather is definitely the biggest fish out there, and no – you better not try to fry him or anything of the sort.

Mayweather is making it rain!

He has had a great career, combining his charm and ability to fight into the perfect draw for sponsorships, show matches and just regular old fights. Facing McGregor, Mayweather hit $300 million in a single night, making it one of the most lucrative fights in the history of boxing.

#2 Canelo Alvarez

Canelo Alvarez is the Mexican dynamite who is definitely making some of the biggest money right now. He’s managed to add $50 million to his net worth over his first two fights streamed on DAZN, but the boxer is in for a real treat. Is he one of the richest boxers yet? Definitely.

Moreover, he’s poised for more financial succecss. Canelo is in for $35 million per match moving on and when you take into consideration the fact that he only lost a single fight, each match he soldiers through would definitely draw more interest.

Canelo vs Khan, the 2016 match aired on HBO.

In boxing, things are actually very simple – people expect you to eventually lose, and Alvarez will probably falter against an opponent. For now, however, the Mexican is all swagger and that’s understandable.

#3 Manny Pacquiao

It’s tough not to have respect for Manny Pacquiao who’s not only worth over $200 million, but is also a great fighter and sportsman. Well, decorum is not anything surprising in the case of Pacquiao who is – get this – a Senator in the Philippines.

Even though he’s over 40 years old today, he’s still got what it takes to clinch victories on the big boxing scene and he’s definitely committed to stirring politics back home. Well, Pacquiao is definitely not in it for the money, because he’s well-to-do and somewhat older, which puts him alongside Gennady, another titan of boxing who truly enjoy the game.

He also has a great sense for humor and doesn’t necesasrily like Mayweather. Then again, who does, really?

#4. Lennox Lewis

Lennox Lewis is a man of many parts. For starters, he’s a citizen of both Canada and the United Kingdom. Mr. Lewis is mostly a traditional boxer and he has competed in Commonwealth competitions and European fights for the most part. The glitz of the United States definitely hasn’t been too attractive for him, as his second passport suggests. A retired boxer today, Lewis has had a successful career in boxing and outside it.

#5. Sugar Ray Leonard: A Kind Smile on His Face

Sugar Ray Leonard has swagger and cash. It’s mostly how it works in this life of ours, but that’s hardly all there is. The man is a legend for his perseverance in boxing. He’s only been defeated once by Knock Out and the judges ruled against him on two occasions, which as we all know isn’t necessarily true. Worth over $120 million Mr. Sugar Ray is definitely enjoy the sweet side of life. He’s also exceptionally kind to others and an aimable person to be around.

#6. Muhammad Ali: Richest Boxers? Who Even Cares!

Boxing wouldn’t be the same without him. Muhammad Ali is the defining boxer of his generations and of many generations to come – call him a Mike Tyson, only he’s somewhat better, or so people would say. Apart from that the man did get some bad promoting so his net worth is definitely not as much as it would have been. The man to do this job for him was Don King who also tried to get Mayweather, too, but Junior simply told him that he would go his own way – and he did.

#7. Anthony Joshua: From a Bad Place to an Inspiration

Anthony Joshua is definitely not one of the wealthiest – yet. Why is he on our list? Well, Joshua is a divisive figure as some seem him as a hypocrite and playing a role. Yet, whether Joshua is all Mr. Nice Guy act or he is genuinely kind is up to everyone to decide on their own.

Anthony’s got grace and kindness, and respect for his fellow opponents. He’s not Tyson Fury and he doesn’t throw words around to purposefully hurt people. Plus, he’s in for a $1 billion DAZN deal that spans eight years. The biggest upset for the boxer was when in 2019, Andy Ruiz, a Mexican overweight boxer knocked him clear out, upsetting Joshua’s first American fight.

#8. Vitali Klitschko: Eastern Perseverance

Worth $80 million today, Vitali Klitschko is not unlike Pacquiao, a politician in his native Ukraine and a skilled fighter in the ring. How far did that get him? Well, Klitschko – nor his brother Wladimir – have anything to complain about.

#9. Tyson Fury: Richest Boxer, Well – Emotionally

Mr. Tyson Fury is an absolutely fantastic character. Whether you love boxing or not, you would want to meet Fury and have a drink with the man – hell, you might not even want drinking, but don’t him know about that. He’s seen financial and emotional ruin on an unprecedented scale and today his net worth is about $40 million, despite his tendency to depress and ponder the big questions.

Come on, everybody, sing along! ‘That I could make those people dance…’

He most certainly isn’t a minnow and with only 29 fights, 20 of which he clinched by Knock Out, Fury could go either way.

Fury definitely has a flair for showmanship, but it seems like he genuinely enjoys playing mind games and poke fun at his opponents. Whether he breaks into the top 10 richest boxers is entirely up to him, though.

#10. George Foreman

George Foreman is an American boxer who has won quite a bit in his time, generating $137.5 million in cash, but not all of this came through boxing, and you know what? There’s absolutely no shame in this. Mr. Foreman has been very smart about using his name and leveraging his investment which keeps him well-to-do, but also goes to show that good strategy translates well both on the ring and in real life.

Who says that you can be one of the richest boxers only if you defeat your opponents in the ring? There’s more to life than that, just ask Big George.

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