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For a physical contact sport as dangerous as boxing, it's perhaps worth the risk for many of the gladiators that dare enter the ring for a professional bout. The most lucrative boxing match was between the former boxing champions Floyd Mayweather and Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao which raked in $410 million and 4.6 million PPV buys in May 2015, to which Floyd won by unanimous decision. Therefore, it's no wonder that some boxers have a net worth after just ten years in the sport that's higher than some Hollywood actors have worked over two decades to acquire. Boxing is undeniably big business as well as an entertainment sport that attracts the attention (and betting prices) of celebrities and major investors alike. Here are 10 richest world famous boxers as of 2022.
Floyd Mayweather - $450 Million
This multi-division boxer truly needs no introduction as he is one of the world's few boxing extraordinaires to retire from the sport of boxing with a flawless record - 50 wins and 0 losses. Floyd "Money" Mayweather is regarded as the epitome of not only defensive boxing IQ, but also of savvy business investments, which has awarded him the title of world's richest boxer at a net worth of $450 million. According to Essentially Sports, after splitting with Bob Arum's Top Rank Productions in 2006, he made his first major investment in his own boxing business, Mayweather Promotions, at just 28-years old. Since then, he has expanded to his own sports fashion and boxing equipment apparel, TMT, or "The Money Team." One only needs to take a look at Mayweather's impressive car collection to understand his awesome financial success.
George Foreman - $300 Million
Born January 10, 1949, George Foreman was one of the most celebrated boxers when in his prime. Like most other boxers, he came to the sport in search of a new start in life after a troubled upbringing. After turning pro in 1969, he secured an impressive winning streak until 1974, with many of those victories coming by way of knockout. Facing tougher opponents like Ken Norton and the late greatest of all time Muhammad Ali, Foreman would lose to the latter. The defeat lead to a string of other losses, causing him to retire in 1977, only to begin boxing again in 1994 at age 45. His post-boxing success is credited to Salton, Inc. who approached Foreman offering the role of a spokesperson for a fat-reducing grill, which sold over 100 million units by 2009. His net worth is now set at $300 million.
Manny Pacquiao - $220 Million
You can't mention Floyd Mayweather in the boxing community without mentioning Manny "Pan-Man" Pacquiao. Born in the Philippines in abject poverty, Pacquiao's story is truly one of tragedy and triumph. After being introduced to boxing at the age of 12, he went on to become an eight-division world champion with around 11 major world titles. According to Ptama.net, in 2015 Pacquiao was listed as the world's second-highest paid athlete on the Forbe's list of 100 highest-paid athletes. He has generated an estimated $1.2 billion in revenue from his 23 electric pay-per-view fights and $19.2 billion in pay-per-view buys. After announcing his retirement in September 2021, he continues his role in politics as the Philippine senator and has invested in various businesses, including the sports media company ONE Championship, Pacman Wildcard Gym, Pacman Beach Resort, Pacman Sports Bar, and other technology and media businesses.
Oscar De La Hoya - $200 Million
Oscar De La Hoya is among the first professional boxers to successfully transition from boxing in the ring to becoming a boxing promoter and investor. In fact, before Floyd Mayweather founded Mayweather Promotions, De La Hoya had already established his boxing promotion company, Golden Boy Promotions, in 2002. According to Celebrity Net Worth, his professional boxing career began in 1992 and lasted until 2009, retiring with 10 world titles in six different weight classes. Besides Golden Boy Promotions being one of the leading boxing promotion companies, the former boxer has also made business deals with HBO cable television, invested in his clothing line Boxeo de Oro, and has partnered with gaming companies PS3, Xbox 360, and PSP.
Canelo Alvarez - $180 Million
Making his pro-debut fight in 2005, Canelo Saul Alvarez took the boxing world by storm with a combination of speed, agility, and punching power that simply could not be overlooked. The Mexican fighter created so much of a buzz that he even landed a fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2013 which he lost, making it the first loss of his career, as per Sporting News. His purse per fight has increased steadily, from making $12 million in the Mayweather bout, to $25 million against Amir Khan, to $40 million against Gennady Golovkin; all these earnings are minus what he made from PPV buys. Canelo's explosive boxing career has earned him a net worth of $180 million.
Lennox Lewis - $150 Million
Born in West Ham, London, United Kingdom, Lennox Lewis began his professional career in boxing after moving with family to Canada, where he took part in the Olympic Games and won Olympic gold for his country, being awarded the best boxer in Canada. Some of the greatest highlights of his boxing career came against the heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield in 1999 which ended in a draw. Another match took place eight months later in which Lewis was unanimously declared the winner. His other highlight fight was against the Iron Mike Tyson in 2002, in which Lewis successfully defended his heavyweight title. Lennox retired in 2004 with 41 wins, two losses, one draw, and net worth of $150 million.
Sugar Ray Leonard - $120 Million
During the 1970s and 1980s, Sugar Ray Leonard was regarded as one of the best boxers in the sport. Due to his artful display of the beauty of boxing, he was nicknamed "Sugar," which later became Sugar Ray Leonard. Modelling his style of fighting after the stylish and skillful movements of Muhammad Ali, Robinson became the first boxer to earn more than a $100 million purse in the history of boxing. His grandest boxing paychecks came against former middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Robert Duran, and Thomas Hearns. He is still hailed as one of the greatest boxers to step foot in the ring, and has long retired with a net worth of $120 million.
Wladimir Klitscho - $90 Million
Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian-born former heavyweight professional boxer who is the brother of Vitali Klitschko. Wladimimr won various gold medals, which incudes the 1996 Super Olympics in Atlanta. His first real fight came in 2000 against Chris Byrd, but he would go on to lose in 2004 and 2004 to Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster, which sparked a comeback in 2006 where Wladimir reigned supreme as a heavyweight champion until 2015 when he lost to The Gypsy King Tyson Fury. He reportedly earned $23 million for his fight against Fury and retired in 2017 with a net worth of $90 million.
Anthony Joshua - $80 Million
Born on October 15, 1989, Anthony Joshua is a two-time former unified heavyweight world champion with an intimidating stature of 6-foot 6 inches of pure muscle. Joshua enjoyed his reign at the top for quite some time before losing to Andy Ruiz Jr. by TKO in 2013, gaining all Joshua's heavyweight titles. He went on to avenge his loss and won the rematch. The UK fighter continued to make waves in the word of boxing until he faced a formidable opponent in Oleksandr Usyk, a Ukrainian beast who won an upsetting victory over Joshua in 2021, making it his second loss. Worse yet, in 2022, Joshua lost a second time to Usyk where they both walked away with $75 million. While there's no telling whether this defeat marks the end of Joshua's professional sports career, his $80 million net worth is enough to start a new life.
Vitali Klitschko - $80 Million
Here's a record you don't always hear of in the world of boxing: Vitali Klitschko and his younger brother Wladimir Klitschko hold the world record for having the most heavyweight title fight victories as brothers. Vitali was such a knockout artist that he was nicknamed "Dr. Ironfist" by fans the world over. He has fought against boxing legends such as Lennox Lewis, Nigerian heavyweight boxer Samuel Peter, and Danny Williams. With a total of 47 fights, 45 wins, and 2 losses, Vitali retired in 2013 at the age of 42 and instead ran for politics, assuming the office of Mayor of Kyiv in 2014. His unforgettable time in boxing history has even been dubbed the "Klitschko Era" and according to Keeper Facts, he has a net worth of $80 million.
Sources: Keeper Facts, Sporting News, Celebrity Net Worth, Ptama.net, Essentially Sports
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