Only two boxers feature on Forbes' top 50 highest-paid athletes of 2023

For sports and business fans, every year, the release of the Forbes top 50 highest-paid athletes list is always fun. While some athletes' pay is almost entirely known, as many only make money through contracts, that isn't the case with the top 50.

No, the top 50 are some of the highest-paid athletes, but also people in the world. Every year, names such as LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Tiger Woods dominate the list. Although, this year features a soccer trifecta at the top as Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe top the list. Followed by the soccer players is a basketball star, the aforementioned James.

However, in fifth place is the first boxer on the Forbes list, Canelo Alvarez. Over the last year, the Mexican superstar has reportedly earned upwards of $110 million dollars.

However, Alvarez's placement is by far the best for a combat sports star. The only other boxer that made the top 50 highest-paid list is Anthony Joshua. Over the last year, 'AJ' has switched trainers and suffered a high-profile loss to Oleksandr Usyk.

However, it's hard to feel that bad for the British star. Over the last year, Joshua has made upwards of $53 million dollars. While boxers aren't widely represented in the top 50 on Forbes, they did much better than other combat sports. No MMA fighter, kickboxer, or wrestler made the list.

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Has a boxer ever topped the Forbes highest-paid athletes?

Over the years, several boxers have topped the Forbes highest-paid athletes list.

The interesting thing about this year's Top 50 list is that it only features two boxers. When looking at previous years, not only have there been more than two, there's been multiple in the top 10. Let alone the top 50 of the list.

Furthermore, one boxer has topped the list several times. That man, unsurprisingly, is Floyd Mayweather. 'Money' topped the list in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2018. Furthermore, Mayweather was the highest-paid athlete period over the last decade, generating over $900 million dollars in the last decade.

However, his longtime rival, Manny Pacquiao, also dominated the list for years. In 2012 and 2015, 'PacMan' came in just behind Mayweather, which is ironic considering their rivalry.

The only other boxers to make appearances in the top ten over the last decade are Canelo Alvarez, and Conor McGregor. 'The Notorious' came in fourth place in 2018, the year he fought Mayweather, and in 2021, he came in first place.