Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather has been named the world’s highest-paid sportsman for the second year running after enjoying a huge windfall from the Manny Pacquiao fight.
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According to figures released by Forbes. Mayweather had an annual income of £196m, with the majority of his earnings unsurprisingly coming from the ‘biggest fight in boxing history’ against Pacquiao on May 2.
While Mayweather extended his unbeaten record to 48-0 after a unanimous points win, he will likely return to the ring for a final time in September before calling time on his career.
Pacquiao is understood to have taken £103m from that fight which in turn has helped him secure second spot on the list, while Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo completed the top three as he racked up earnings of £51m.
The likes of Lionel Messi, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and LeBron James made it into the top 10, but naturally after such a big year for their fellow athlete, none came close to rivalling Mayweather for top spot.
The 38-year-old has established himself as the ‘king of pay-per-view’ after consistently breaking records throughout his career with fights against Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez in particular previously raising the bar.
However, as expected his highly-anticipated bout with Pacquiao was the one that was going to blow all those figures out the water and even though the fight itself failed to live up to expectations, it didn’t prevent it from being a global success.
Forbes’ earning figures are based on salaries, bonuses, prize money and appearance fees as well as estimates on licensing and endorsements for the past 12 months, while they only account for athletes that have been active in the last 12 months.
The official Forbes full list can be found here.
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