Floyd Mayweather lived up to his nickname “The Money,” claiming the top spot on the Forbes list of world’s highest-paid athletes for 2018. This is the fourth time in the last seven years that the 41 -year-old retired boxer has been named the world’s highest-paid athlete.
Mayweather earned $285 million between June 2017 and June 2018, with $275 million coming from his highly publicized boxing match with UFC’s star Conor McGregor. The rest of his $10 million came from paid appearances, memorabilia and endorsements with brands like Hublot and Tequila Avion.
Soccer superstar and FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi claimed the second spot on the list, earning a total of $111 million. He earned $84 million from salary and various bonuses, while also collecting $27 million from endorsement deals with Gatorade, Pepsi, and Adidas.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was the world’s highest-paid athlete in the previous two years but slipped to the third spot in 2018. Ronaldo earned $108 million, with $61 million coming from salary and bonuses and $47 coming from his numerous endorsements including deals with Nike, Herbalife, and EA Sports.
Floyd Mayweather didn’t only cash in nicely but also helped Conor McGregor to collect a hefty paycheck and secure a spot on Forbes list of world’s highest-paid athletes for 2018. McGregor earned estimated $85 million from the match against Mayweather while collecting additional $14 million from other endeavors, bringing his total earnings to $99 million.
Another soccer star, Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar, closes out the top five with estimated earnings of $90 million.
Check out the top 10 world’s highest-paid athletes for 2018 below.
1. Floyd Mayweather – $285 million
2. Lionel Messi – $111 million
3. Cristiano Ronaldo – $108 million
4. Conor McGregor – $99 million
5. Neymar – $90 million
6. LeBron James – $85.5 million
7. Roger Federer – $77.2 million
8. Stephen Curry – $76.9 million
9. Matt Ryan – $67.3 million
10. Matthew Stafford – $59.5 million
