JAKE PAUL claimed in only his third fight he earned more than any UFC fighter ever bar Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Paul did not reveal how much he earned for knocking out retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, but did take aim at Dana White.
He accused the UFC president of underpaying his stars and boasted about making more than anyone else on his roster.
But still, the YouTuber is some way off reaching the heights of some of boxing’s greatest.
Here, SunSport runs down the richest fighters ever and how they made their fortune.
Floyd Mayweather – £325m
Mayweather was the pay-per-view and pound-for-pound king during his iconic 50-0 career.
His fights with McGregor and Manny Pacquiao alone banked him more than £600m, with the American claiming to have retired with over £1BILLION in career earning.
He topped Forbes’ rich list of the decade with a £706m fortune, but his excessive spending and investments still leaves him with a healthy £325m net worth.
George Foreman – £215m
The heavyweight fought the likes of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in the 1970s earning him £4m to face ‘The Greatest’.
When he returned in 1987 for a second run at the title after ten years out, he went on to become the oldest heavyweight champ of all time aged 45 and made millions in the process.
But a large chunk of Foreman’s £215m net worth comes from the success of his Foreman grills, earning £143m in endorsements outside the ring.
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Manny Pacquiao – £160m
PacMan still has one of the greatest fanbases in boxing spanning across the Philippines and America.
He is said to have earned £320m in purses but has given a large amount of money away to charity in his homeland.
Still, the Filipino presidential hopeful is still one of the highest paid active boxers, pocketing a £7m guarantee plus PPV bonuses in his last fight.
Oscar De La Hoya – £145m
The Golden Boy was the poster boy for for Stateside boxing during his championship reign and headlined 19 PPVs.
For his fight against Mayweather, he banked a £37m and had a guarantee of £14.3 before losing to Pacquaio.
De La Hoya also launched a successful promotional banner, previously working with Canelo Alvarez.
Lennox Lewis – £100m
Lewis retired with wins over the likes of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Vitali Klitschko proving a success in tickets and PPV sales.
He is believed to have earned £34m alone for those three fights.
Lewis also had cameos in the 2001 movie Ocean’s Eleven, Jennifer Lopez and LL Cool J’s song ‘All I Have’ music video and Celebrity Apprentice in 2008.
Canelo Alvarez – £100m
The Mexican superstar is currently the biggest attraction in boxing today and in 2018 signed a record-breaking 11-fight deal with DAZN worth £300m.
The contract was prematurely terminated in 2020 after only three fights with Canelo preferring to be a free agent, despite twice boxing on DAZN after.
He’s still the highest paid fighter in the world, and banked around £65m in his last five fights alone.
Conor McGregor – £85m
McGregor is easily the UFC’s highest paid fighter of all time, earning £2.3m for his last three fights – but PPV bonuses would have seen that number sky rocket.
His 2017 boxing debut against Mayweather has also helped contribute massively to his ever growing net worth.
And with business in whiskey, clothing, fitness and sponsorships outside the cage, McGregor has earned a pretty penny away from fighting.
Sugar Ray Leonard – £85m
Sugar Ray retired a rich man thanks to his iconic fights against rivals Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran and Tommy Hearns.
But he has also made a fortune real estate investments and in 2019 put his amazing mansion in Los Angels up for sale for £42m.
It did not sell, but Leonard has worked as a motivational speaker and broadcaster.
Anthony Joshua – £65m
Joshua has been the face of British boxing since his 2013 debut and currently reigns as a two-time unified champion.
He has headlined 11 PPVs and made a career-best £66m for his rematch on Saudi Arabian soil against Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019.
With a potential two-fight doubler header with Tyson Fury to come, it could potentially double AJ’s net worth.
Wladimir Klitschko – £65m
Klitschko and his brother Vitali dominated the heavyweight scene during the tail-end of their careers.
The Ukrainian earned just over £30m for his losses against Fury and Joshua.
He also had sponsorship deals with SAP, Porsche, Deutsche Telecom and McFit.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
