Floyd Mayweather, Jr. watches during the first half in Game 4 of a second-round NBA basketball playoff series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Houston Rockets, Sunday, May 10, 2015, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
He’s called Money and he has the paper to show for it.
Boxing welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. earned $300 million from 2014 to 2015 which makes his earnings almost double of the second placer, Manny Pacquiao.
According to Forbes.com, Pacquiao, who lost to Mayweather on May 2 in their much ballyhooed fight, earned $160 million.
Mayweather earned $285 million atop the ring and $15 million on endorsement deals with Hublot, FanDuel, and Burger King during the Pacquiao fight and from merchandise sales of his The Money Team brand.
Forbes.com added in its report that Mayweather’s historic haul puts him atop the earners’ table for the third time in four years.
Pacquiao’s income for 2014-2015 was not only from boxing but also from his endorsement deals with from Nike, Foot Locker, Nestle’s Butterfinger, and Wonderful Pistachios.
Rounding out the top four are another pair of rivals, football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Real Madrid’s Ronaldo, the reigning Ballon D’Or winner, earned $79.6 million while FC Barcelona’s Messi, a four-time Ballon D’Or winner, earned $73.8 million.
Forbes.com listed tennis icon Roger Federer as the fifth richest athlete of 2014-2015 as the Swiss earned $67 million, $58 million came off endorsement deals. CFC