Boxing isn’t the kind of career that many people mistake it for. Sure, boxers only work two or three times a year for approximately half an hour, but their job consists of more than taking and throwing a few punches in front of millions of people every few months. Boxers work hard to maintain their strength and physique. They go on press tours. They exercise constantly, watch what they eat on a regular basis, and risk bodily injury during each bout. Boxers are paid well because they work hard for everything they earn in and out of the ring. Here are the 10 richest boxers in history.
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Floyd Mayweather Jr. – $280 Million
He’s one of the most famous faces in boxing history, as well as a former contestant on Dancing with the Stars. When boxers take to the ring, their winnings are called the “purse”. In 2012, Mayweather Jr. received the biggest purse in history after fighting and winning the title of light middleweight champion against Miguel Cotto. It wasn’t an easy win, however, as Cotto held his own in the ring, causing Mayweather Jr. a little damage on his road to victory. His $280 million earned helped him decided to call himself “Money.” He also recently topped Tiger Woods by earning over $100 million this year.
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George Foreman $250 Million
Worth more than $250 million, George Foreman is one of the most successful boxers of all time. Though the bulk of his money comes not from his time spent in the ring, Foreman still saw a successful career that helped drive his outside business interests, turning it into the successful brand it is today. George Forman’s wealth also comes from his business, which is a line of grills named after the successful boxer. He’s made numerous appearances on the Home Shopping Network and his grills are found in homes all over the world, earning him some big bucks.
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Oscar de la Hoya – $200 Million
Oscar de la Hoya’s $200 million in winnings from his boxing career is significantly higher than anyone else that ever made it into the ring. However, his income was earned with hard fights and a long career. His net worth is more than $200 million thanks to his business, but his earnings in the ring are only $53 million – still the highest of all time. He’s an Olympic gold medalist, a champion in six weight classes and a world title holder 10 times over. It’s no wonder he’s the richest boxer in history.
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Lennox Lewis – $140 Million
There was once a time when British boxers couldn’t pull it together enough to defeat American boxers. Lennox Lewis is the man who changed all that. He’s known for his successful career defeating some of the biggest names in the ring. After defeating Evander Holyfield during a fight, he was then on target to fight Mike Tyson back in 2002. The fight was something people were looking forward to, and pay-per-view sales were insane. However, the fight was not interesting, especially after Lewis knocked Tyson out in the eighth round.
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Sugar Ray Leonard – $120 Million
Today, Sugar Ray Leonard spends the majority of his time giving motivational speeches around the country. His retirement from boxing hasn’t stopped him from making money, though his boxing days are the reason he has such a large net worth. He was the first boxer in history to win purses more than $100 million. He holds five world titles in five different weight classes and he’s the man who won titles against some of the biggest names in the ring that later went onto be included in the Boxing Hall of Fame. He’s worth $120 million today.
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Manny Pacquaio – $100 Million
He’s one of the most successful boxers of all time. Manny Pacquaio holds championship titles in eight different weight classes, which is impressive given his seemingly little frame. He’s known for getting in the ring with some of the most feared boxers of all time and beating them without losing virtually any matches. He’s from the Philippines and his nickname throughout his career was Pacman, given to him because he seemed to take out his opponents without much effort in the least. His $25 million was earned with a significant amount of hard work and raw talent.
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Vitali Klitschko – $65 Million
He’s a boxer who made a lot of money in the ring, and a name for himself out of it. He’s most famous for the time he took out the Odlanier Solis, the Cuban boxer who earned a Gold medal in the 2004 Olympic games in 2011. Also his tough bout with Lennox Lewish. However, Klitschko is known for many other things, including his role as a politician. He is the Ukranian Democratic Alliance for Reform leader as well as a member of the Parliament in the Ukraine. He’s more into politics these days, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t good inside the ring.
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Muhammad Ali – $50 Million
Though he’s been retired for a long time, Muhammad Ali will always be one of the most famous, most revered men in boxing. Something most people don’t know about Ali is the fact that he was born by the name of Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. and changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1975 after converting his religion. His career is fraught with controversy after the champ was stripped of his titles and arrested after evading the draft. He had a four year period in which he did not participate in any fights following that controversy, which was during his peak performance age.
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Marvin Hagler – $45 Million
His nickname is Marvelous Marvin. He’s a retired boxer worth $45 million. His career included 12 titles and the second longest undisputed reign as the middleweight champion in the world. His career was long and successful, but it also comes with an amusing story. He spent several years fighting announcers to call him by his nickname, “Marvelous Marvin Hagler,” only to realize they just wouldn’t. So, he legally changed his name to include the Marvelous in 1982 so that the announcers at all his matches would have to call him by his former nickname, to his own personal happiness.
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Ricky Hatton – $40 Million
Born in England, Ricky Hatton is one of the most financially successful boxers of all time. His career ended in 2011 after a few years of speculation in the media. He’d lost a big fight to Manny Pacquiao, which had him taking a break for a while. The media wondered if he was just waiting out his time to make a big, splashy comeback until he stepped forward to announce his official retirement from the sport. However, he did make a comeback nearly a year later in 2012 and three years after his last fight, and then retired again two months later.
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