Floyd Mayweather Named Sport's Top Earner, Lionel Messi Trumps Cristiano Ronaldo
Floyd Mayweather Jr. earned over $6 million (£3.86 million) per minute during his 12-round victory over Manny Pacquiao on May 2, numbers which have thrust the American boxer to the top of sports-earnings list.
As reported by John Mastroberardino of ESPN, Pretty Boy sits ahead of Pacquiao and every other global star on ESPN The Magazine's 2015 list of highest-earning athletes. While the two "Fight of the Century" boxers lead the way, football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sit just ahead of Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel on the rich list.
You can view the top earners below:
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| 1 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. | Boxing | $250m/£161m |
| 2 | Manny Pacquiao | Boxing | $150m/£96.6m |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | Football | $56.3m/£36.2m |
| 4 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football | $50.2m/£32.3m |
| 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Formula One | $50m/£32.2m |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Formula One | $40m/£25.7m |
| 7 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Football | $35m/£22.5m |
| =8 | Lewis Hamilton | Formula One | $31m/£20m |
| =8 | Clayton Kershaw | Baseball | $31m/£20m |
| 10 | Justin Verlander | Baseball | $28m/£17.9m |
Earnings from Mayweather's unanimous-decision victory over Pacquiao are expected to be "north of $500m (£322m)," according to Mastroberardino. Incredibly, he notes this is "roughly equal to the 2014 gross domestic product of Tonga."
While not all pay-per-view buyers felt they received their money's worth during the so-called "super-fight," Mayweather and Pacquiao certainly have no reason to complain. However, British boxer Ricky Hatton—who lost to them both during his career—suggests the pair may have harmed the reputation of the sport in the process, per BBC Sport:
Mayweather ducked and weaved away from Pacquiao for much of the contest, with his noticeably subdued Filipino opponent then forced into surgery after battling with a pre-existing shoulder injury, per BBC Sport.
As noted in the table above, their 36-minute performance produced an enormous payout considering the time spent actually competing. Messi, football's highest earner, has earned a third of what Pacquaio received after a season of goalscoring antics with Barcelona.
Considering he has made 54 appearances for the Catalan club since the start of the current campaign—the majority of which have been 90 minutes each, per WhoScored.com—Mayweather and Pacquiao's colossal earnings are put into a little more perspective.
Messi enthusiasts will be pleased to see the Argentinian's earnings trump those of eternal rival Ronaldo, who is just behind him at this point.
Both are threatened by new contracts in F1. Vettel's decision to sign with Ferrari makes him the best-paid racing driver on the planet, but ESPN The Magazine's survey doesn't include the new contract signed by Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.
The F1 champion confirmed a new three-year agreement worth up to £27 million per year on Wednesday, reported by BBC Sport. He spoke about the decision to ink a new deal on Mercedes' Twitter account:
Hamilton still wouldn't topple Vettel, but would at least move ahead of Spanish rival Fernando Alonso in sixth.
Despite a limited season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant (31st) remains basketball's top-earner on $23.5 million (£15 million). Tennis star Serena Williams is the highest-paid female athlete, earning $9.3 million (£6 million) in prize money.
All athletes included in the upper echelons of the survey have two things in common: they are extremely popular and compete at the top of their sport. They enjoy global support, but also dedicated fanbases in their own country.
ESPN The Magazine's survey highlights one of the reasons why many youngsters grow up dreaming of being a sports star. Aside from glory and fame, top-level entertainers put themselves in a position to earn handsomely.
It is unlikely Mayweather and Pacquiao's earnings will be toppled by a single event anytime soon, unless of course, a rematch appears. Even then, the somewhat underwhelming legacy of the first fight is likely to lower pay-per-view purchases and the overall pot.
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