If you enjoy boxing, you may have wondered who the highest-paid boxer of all time is or who the highest-paid lightweight boxers in the world are. You may also have come across people arguing over the above questions. If you’re a boxing fan, have you ever wondered how much your favorite fighters earn and who ranks among the wealthiest?
In the past few years, boxing has become much more popular, and fighters’ net worths are starting to reflect this. Boxing has been a popular sport since the beginning of time. Even with less equipment and technology back then, spectators and players had a great time. Today, it is one of the most thriving industries, and many people make a living and pursue their dreams. Today, this industry produces several wealthy athletes.
Before we begin, here is a list of the richest boxers in the world for 2023. We hope you now have a minimum of boxers in your head. Also, if you are a big boxing fan, take a guess and see if your favorite boxer made it to the list or not. But before then, let’s do a quick recap for the love of the sport.
Who is a Boxer?
A boxer is someone who participates in a sport in which two people punch each other with large, padded gloves. To be a boxer, you’ll need to strengthen your arms and practice quick footwork.
You can call yourself a boxer if you spend time training at a boxing gym and sparring in the ring with partners who dance around throwing jabs in your direction. You’re a different kind of boxer if your job entails putting things in cardboard boxes.
What Do Boxers Do?
Professional boxers compete in hand-to-hand boxing matches to win belts and titles in front of adoring fans. Fights may appear glamorous, but they are only a small part of a boxer’s working life.
Most of their career entails a significant amount of strength training, rope skipping, running, technique development, and diet management to drop or gain pounds to meet a specific weight category.
Boxing is a sport that a large number of people enjoy watching. As a result, many professional boxers will also receive public relations training to communicate effectively with the media and fans.
How Much Do Boxers Make?
The average annual salary for a Professional Boxer in the United States is $39,972. In case you need a quick salary calculation, that works out to about $19.22 per hour, equating to $768 every week or $3,331 each month.
Can Boxing Make You a Millionaire?
The answer is Yes, it can. Many fighters have confirmed that you can make a fortune in any combat sport, not only boxing. Yet, it is not a simple path to take because combat sports are extremely physically demanding, and the emphasis should be more on training and competing than making money.
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Is Boxing Richer Than UFC?
Money is certainly more plentiful in boxing than in the UFC or mixed martial arts sector. Top boxers can earn millions of dollars per fight, whereas top UFC fighters earn only a few hundred thousand.
Who is the Billionaire Boxer?
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the world’s richest boxer as of July 2023, with a total net worth of roughly 400 million British pounds. Boxer-turned-entrepreneur George Foreman came in second, with a considerable portion of his net worth coming from sources other than boxing.
Top 10 Highest Paid Boxers
The following are the top ten highest-paid boxers in the world in 2023:
- Floyd Mayweather
- Anthony Joshua
- Tyson Fury
- Deontay Wilder
- Alexander Povetkin
- Dillian wyte
- Andy Ruiz Jr.
- Luiz Ortiz
- Oleksandr Usyk
- Micheal Hunter
- Joseph Parker
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#1. Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the richest boxer and is widely regarded as one of the best of all time. He had the record for not losing any of his 50 professional boxing fights before he retired in August 2017. He nevertheless keeps taking part in demonstration matches.
‘Money’ as he is professionally called, officially retired from professional boxing after his knockout victory over Conor McGregor in 2017. He currently owns and oversees a NASCAR Cup Series team.
#2. Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua is a British professional boxer who made his professional debut in 2013 and has since risen to incredible heights in the sport.
In 2014, he was named Ring magazine’s “Prospect of the Year.” He was also the first British boxer to appear on the list.
He is currently the heavyweight champion of the IBF, WBA, WBO, and IBO, and a two-time unified heavyweight champion.
Joshua earns about $11 million per year from commercial deals. Among the many brands he has worked with are Jaguar Land Rover, Beats Electronics, Sky Sports, Electronic Arts, and Hugo Boss, to name a few.
Since 2018, Joshua has earned approximately $125 million in total earnings, which include purse payouts, PPV revenue, and endorsement earnings, with a portion of that coming from his most recent big fight, a rematch with Andy Ruiz, which earned him $60 million.
And in two months, we’ll see him earn even more in a single fight against Tyson Fury in August. Both fighters have received a guaranteed 50-50 offer of $150 million from Saudi Arabia to host the event, and their earnings will eventually rise due to bonuses and pay-per-view.
#3. Tyson Fury
In the boxing world, Tyson is the “Gypsy King.” He is a two-time world heavyweight champion. He won the WBC title in February 2020 after bulldozing through Deontay Wilder.
Tyson Fury is one of boxing’s biggest names, and his earnings are expected to skyrocket in 2023 as he prepares for the highly anticipated Anthony Joshua match in August.
Tyson Fury is expected to earn less than $100 million in the upcoming fight, including pay-per-view bonuses. Also, he happens to be the world’s second-highest-paid boxer.
#4. Deontay Wilder
Deontay Wilder is a boxer from the United States who competes at heavyweight. He won the WBC heavyweight title in 2015, which he held for a few years.
He ended the sport’s longest drought of American heavyweight champions, which had lasted nine years.
Deontay’s most notable paydays are $2 million for the first Luis Ortiz fight, $10 million for the first Tyson Fury fight, $10 million for Dominic Breazeale, $20 million for the Luis Ortiz rematch, and $28 million for the Tyson Fury rematch.
If you add the Fury rematch in February 2020, Deontay’s career earnings exceed $70 million. Between June 2019 and June 2020, Deontay earned $45 million.
#5. Alexander Povetkin
Alexander Povetkin is a professional boxer from Russia who is still active in the sport.
In 2020, the highest-paid Russian boxer/athlete, with a salary of $10 million, including a bonus of ($3.5 million show, $6.5 million PPV share).
He became the new WBC interim heavyweight champion after dominating a British boxer (Dillian Whyte) in the fifth round. According to a report, Alexander Povetkin’s net worth has increased to $10 million.
Povetkin is currently earning a lot of money for his fights; his career-high guaranteed purse was £6 million against Anthony Joshua in 2018.
His pay-per-view share and purse split increased in the rematch after he won the heavyweight title last year.
The fight purse for Povetkin’s upcoming rematch has been revealed. Povetkin is guaranteed a $5 million purse, and if pay-per-view sales for the fight remain strong, his earnings will rise to around $12 million.
#5. Dillian wyte
Dillian Whyte is a British professional boxer, former kickboxer, and mixed martial artist. He is ranked the fifth-best active heavyweight in the world by The Ring Magazine and seventh by BoxRec.
Dillian earned $3 million in 2019 from his two matches. Whyte made $5.2 million from a single WBC interim heavyweight title fight in 2020 against Alexander Povetkin.
He has earned more than $15 million from boxing in his entire career. This makes him one of the highest-paid boxers in the world.
#6. Andy Ruiz Jr.
Andrés Ruiz Jr. is another high-paid Mexican-American boxer who competes in the United States.
Ruiz is a former unified heavyweight champion who defeated Anthony Joshua in 2019 to win the WBA (Super), IBF, WBC, and IBO titles. He became the first Mexican-born male boxer to win a world heavyweight title.
The rematch with Anthony Joshua is Ruiz Jr’s most lucrative match. According to Forbes, this earned him around $13–14 million, while the first match earned him a total of $7 million.
Ruiz Jr. returned to the ring last month, defeating Arreola at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Ruiz Jr. was the highest-paid boxer in the fight, earning $3.5 million (including the PPV share bonus).
#7. Luiz Ortiz
Luis Ortiz is a Cuban professional boxer. He held the WBA interim heavyweight title from 2015 to 2016 and was challenged for the WBC heavyweight title twice in 2018 and 2019. Ortiz is famous for his powerful punching abilities. Remember the name “King Kong”? That’s right; his punching abilities gave him the name.
As of April 2021, he is the world’s sixth-best active heavyweight, according to Ring magazine and Transnational Boxing. This makes him one of the highest-paid boxers in the world right now.
According to Hollywood Magazine, the 6’4-tall Cuban boxer has a massive net worth of $22 million as of August 2020. Ortiz’s fight against Wilder almost two years ago was one of his highest-paid boxing fights, with a $1.3 million purse and a $2 million increase due to pay-per-view.
#8. Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk is a Ukrainian boxer. He was the first cruiserweight champion in history to hold all four major world titles, reigning as the undisputed cruiserweight champion from 2018 to 2019.
Usyk recently received a pay raise; he is undefeated and has risen to the position of number one contender for the WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title, which he will defend against Derek Chisora.
The Ukrainian boxer’s guaranteed purse money confirmed that he would earn $2.5 million from the October 31st fight, but no information on the pay-per-view bonus was released.
#9. Michael Hunter
Micheal Hunter Jr. is a boxer from the United States. He was challenged for the WBO junior heavyweight title in 2017. Hunter is the son of former professional boxer, Mike Hunter. In April 2017, he fought for his first professional title.
Hunter’s net worth is estimated to be $3 million as of 2023. His boxing career is the primary source of his worth.
Although his exact salary has not been disclosed, reports indicate that he earns between $100,000 and $500,000 per fight, with the possibility of an increase if his current form continues.
Micheal Hunter is ranked seventh by Ring and fifth by the IBF.
He is one of the highest-paid boxers in the world.
#10. Joseph Parker
Joseph Dennis Parker, 29, is a professional boxer and one of New Zealand’s highest-paid boxers.
He held the WBO heavyweight title, as well as several regional heavyweight titles, including the WBO Oriental, Africa, and Oceania titles, as well as the PABA, OPBF, and New Zealand titles, from 2016 to 2018.
Parker became the first heavyweight boxer from New Zealand or the Pacific Islands to win a major world title when he defeated Andy Ruiz for the vacant WBO title.
In 2018, Joseph Parker became Australia’s highest-paid boxer, earning a guaranteed purse of $3 million, with earnings for the fight against Joshua rising to $10 million (pay-per-view sales).
He has a 30 percent pay-per-view sales lead for the fight. Parker soon lost another heavyweight fight to (Dillian Whyte), earning a purse of up to $4 million plus a portion of the pay-per-view revenue.
Last month, he recovered from a seven-second knockout to win the WBO Intercontinental heavyweight title, which he will defend against Derek Chisora on May 1, 2021, at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
Parker was paid a million pounds for the fight. But his earnings increased to £3 million due to the pay-per-view sales ratio.
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List of Highest-Paid Active Boxers In 2023
We combed through the archives to compile a list of the 20 wealthiest boxers in the sport’s history. Some of these may come as a surprise to you:
- Floyd Mayweather
- Michael Buffer
- Bob Arum
- George Foreman
- Oscar De La Hoya
- Manny Pacquiao
- Don King
- Lennox Lewis
- Sugar Ray Leonard
- Vitali Klitschko
- Anthony Joshua
- Wladimir Klitschko
- Marvin Hagler
- Bernard Hopkins
- Ricky Hatton
- Naseem Hamed
- Amir Khan
- Anthony Mundine
- Felix Trinidad
- Miguel Cotto
Tyson Fury’s Net Worth
Fury won brilliantly in Las Vegas to retain his WBC heavyweight title and collect a purse of around £20 million.
The Gypsy King’s net worth is estimated to be in the region of £80 million.
The controversial first meeting with Wilder in Los Angeles netted the 2015 Ring magazine Fighter of the Year £2.3 million in addition to a cut of the pay-per-view rights.
The outcome of the December 2018 fight served as a springboard for Fury, who landed a five-fight contract with ESPN and Top Rank worth £80 million.
Sugar Ray Leonard’s Net Worth
Sugar Ray Leonard’s net worth is estimated to be $120 million as of 2023.
He is a North Carolina-born former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Leonard is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time.
He was a member of “The Fabulous Four,” a group of boxers who competed against each other throughout the 1980s.
Marvin Hagler’s Net Worth
Marvin Hagler’s net worth: Marvin Hagler was an American boxer and film actor who died with a net worth of $40 million. On March 13, 2021, he died at the age of 66. “Marvelous Marvin Hagler” was the undisputed middleweight champion boxer.
In 1993, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Hagler was so upset that the announcers did not call him “Marvelous” during one fight that he legally changed his name to “Marvelous Marvin Hagler.”
George Foreman’s Net Worth
George Foreman is a retired American boxer and entrepreneur with a net worth of $300 million. He has the net worth of a champion, but you’d be surprised how little of his fortune is derived from boxing.
In fact, after turning professional in 1969 and amassing an impressive 76 wins out of 81 fights, Foreman had a relatively small net worth of $5 million by the 1980s. Foreman is now a very wealthy man, thanks to a popular grill that bears his name.
George Foreman is a two-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, multimillionaire entrepreneur, and born-again Christian minister with an incredible story of success and perseverance.
Manny Pacquiao’s Net Worth
The Filipino is going into the fight with a successful boxing career, but he is not sure how much money he has. Celebrity Net Worth pegs his net worth at $220 million, while Wealthy Genius pegs it at $375 million.
Oscar de la Hoya’s Net Worth
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired Mexican-American professional boxer with a net worth of $200 million. After he stopped boxing, he had a very successful career as a boxing promoter and investor.
How Much is the Most Expensive Fight Ticket?
The ticket price to the boxing bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., was from $1,500 to $10, 000. This is the highest-priced ticket ever recorded, and the superfight was termed the “Battle of the Century.”
Highest Paid Boxing Match
The following are the highest-paid boxing matches ever:
- Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, May 2015 – £678 million
- Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor, August 2017 – £662.5 million
- Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II – June 1997 – £145.7 million
- Mayweather vs. Saul Canelo Alvarez, September 2013 – £214 million
- Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson, June 2002 – £132.6 million
What is the Biggest Fight in History?
One of the most anticipated matches in boxing history was the Pacquaio superfight. Despite the huge fan desire for the battle, it took nearly a decade for both men to reach an agreement. The fight drew $410 million in pay-per-view revenue, making it the highest-grossing boxing battle ever.
Do Losing Boxers Get Paid?
Whether they prevail in a fight or not, professional boxers get compensated. Almost always, regardless of the result, both fighters will be paid.
Conclusion
Since knowledge is power, I hope the above information helps you know the world’s highest-paid boxers and the highest-paid boxing matches. So, if you are a boxing fan, you can sit in the middle of that argument and defend your favorite boxer and even the highest-paid boxers in the world.
FAQs On Highest-Paid Boxers In The World
Who is the highest paid boxer ever?
Mayweather is the highest-paid and richest boxer in the world
Who is the highest paid boxer of all time?
The highest-paid boxers ever are:
- Sugar Ray Leonard. …
- (tie) Saul Alvarez. …
- (tie) Lennox Lewis. Total net worth: $140 million. …
- Don King. Total net worth: $150 million. …
- Oscar De La Hoya. Total net worth: $200 million. …
- Manny Pacquiao. Total net worth: $220 million. …
- George Foreman. Total net worth: $300 million. …
- Floyd Mayweather. Total net worth: $450 million
Which boxer makes the most money?
Floyd Mayweather’s net worth is estimated to be around $560 million, making him the world’s richest boxer.
