Mayweather tops Pacquiao on Forbes’ richest athletes list

 

Floyd
„Money” Mayweather has beaten Manny Pacquiao again: the undefeated US
boxer leads his Filipino rival atop Forbes\’ latest list of the world\’s
highest-paid sports figures.

Mayweather tops the list for the
second year in a row with the majority of his $300 million in earnings
over the past 12 months coming from his May mega-fight with Pacquiao.
 
Thanks
to his take from the fight, Pacquiao is second on the list released on
Wednesday with $160 million in earnings, joining Mayweather and Tiger
Woods as the only sportsmen to earn nine figures in a 12-month period.
 
The
highest-grossing fight in history, which generated $400 million in US
revenue, accounts for much of the $460 million earnings increase on the
2015 list, Forbes said.
 
According to the financial magazine\’s
calculations – which take into account salaries, bonuses, prize money,
appearance fees and estimated licensing and endorsement income – the
top 100 earned a total of $3.2 billion over the last 12 months.
 
Real
Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo edged Barcelona rival Lionel Messi for
third on the list,with Ronaldo coming in at $79 million and Messi $73.8
million.
 
Swiss tennis great Roger Federer rounded out the top five with total earnings of $67 million.
 
Woods
remains in the top 10 at number nine ($50.6 million), despite the
decline in his game that has seen his world ranking slide to 181.
 
The
14-time major champion\’s old rival Phil Mickelson is the highest-paid
golfer at eighth ($50.8 million) – with reigning world number one Rory
McIlroy of Northern Ireland coming in at 12th.
 
The top 10 also features three NBA players: LeBron James at sixth, Kevin Durant at seventh and Kobe Bryant at 10th.
 
Once again, Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova is the highest woman on the list at 26 – with total earnings of $29.7 million.
 
World number one Serena Williams is the only other woman in the top 100 at number 47 ($26.4 million). — Agence France-Presse