According to Forbes, boxing is far from dying. Earlier today, the magazine revealed that both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao sit atop their "Top 100 Highest Paid Athletes" list. "Money" Mayweather is holding down the #1 position after raking in an astonishing $85 million, while Pacquiao secured the #2 position after earning $62 million. The next closest athlete was Tiger Woods, who pulled in $59.4 million.
Perhaps the most astonishing fact about Mayweather's number is that it's purely based on his fight earnings, having absolutely no major endorsements. In comparison, Tiger Woods earned a whopping $55 million in endorsements, meaning only $4.4 million was generated from his performances on the golf course. Manny Pacquiao's number includes an estimated $6 million from various endorsement deals, which means his fight earnings are right around $56 million, nearly $30 million less than what Mayweather earned. Those numbers make one wonder if Mayweather was right all along about his unwillingness to agree to a 50/50 split with Pacquiao
As noted by Forbes, the figures include "salaries, bonuses, prize money, appearance fees, as well as licensing and endorsement income for the 12 months between June 2011 and June 2012." The 12-month timeframe means Mayweather earned the title of "Highest Paid Atlete" with just 2 fights, against Victor Ortiz and Miguel Cotto, and less than 1 hour performing inside the ring. Furtermore, acording to Forbes, Pacquiao's figures also consisted of 2 fights, including his most recent controversial loss to Timothy Bradley.
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