Floyd Mayweather is ESPN’s top-paid athlete

Floyd Mayweather Jr AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—He surely lived up to his billing.

International sports network ESPN billed American boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather as 2013’s highest-paid athlete with the Pretty Boy raking in $73.5 million.

Mayweather, who was undefeated in 45 fights, only fought twice in 2013 against Robert Guerrero and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and earned a minimum of $32 million and $41.5 million.

Behind Mayweather are two footballers who have defined an era, Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, earned $50.2 million in 2013, while Messi, a four-time Ballon d’Or winner, earned a close $50.1 million.

Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the Greenbay Packers of the National Football League, was the fourth athlete on the list, raking in $40 million in 2013 from the team that drafted him.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who plays striker for French club Paris Saint-Germain at Ligue 1, rounded out the top 5 after earning $35 million in 2013.

For basketball aficionados, only Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant made the top 25 list with a $30.5 million pay from the franchise in 2013.

According to ESPN, the Los Angeles Dodgers of the Major League Baseball was the best-paying sports team in 2013 shelling out $241,128,402 with another baseball power, the New York Yankees, in second with a payroll worth $208,830,659.

English football club Manchester City of the Premier League was the third best-paying team in sports in 2013 with a payroll of $202,747,812.

Spain’s La Liga giants Fc Barcelona and Real Madrid took the fourth and fifth spot with payrolls worth $193,610,600 and $189,660,944.

ESPN’s data were all based on salaries and excluded all sponsor and commercial deals.

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