

Canelo Alvarez named world's second-highest paid athlete after earning $137M in 2025
Jan 20, 2026
1 min read
The four-division world champion did end the year having suffered a humbling defeat, though former undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez still reigned supreme as far as earnings were concerned across a sport where his impact continues t...
Canelo Alvarez may have finished 2025 with a loss on his ledger, but the bank account for boxing’s biggest breadwinner clearly indicates he’s still a winner.
Sports media publication Sportico released its fifth annual "100 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World" list for 2025, and Alvarez was ranked as the second-highest paid athlete in the world with $137 million in estimated earnings.
From the figure, $125 million was from his fights against William Scull in May and Terence Crawford in September, with another $12 million coming in from endorsements. Alvarez signed a highly lucrative four-fight deal with Riyadh Season in February.
Three other boxers also made the Penske-owned company’s list.
Coming in at No. 21 was Alvarez’s conqueror in Crawford. The recently retired Crawford fought only one time in 2025 and made an estimated $66 million ($60 million in salary/winnings; $6 million in endorsements).
Trailing not too far behind Crawford at No. 25 is undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue with $62 million in estimated earnings – ($45 million in salary/winnings; $17 million in endorsements). The incredibly active Inoue fought four times in 2025 and beat Ye Joon Kim, Ramon Cardenas, Murodjon Akhmadaliev and David Picasso.
Rounding out the list of fighters who made the list was Jake Paul at No. 30. Paul raked in $60 million in estimated earnings – ($50 million in salary/winnings; $10 million in endorsements). Paul fought twice in 2025, a unanimous decision win against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June and a sixth-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua on December 19.
Cristiano Ronaldo led all athletes with a total of $260 million in estimated earnings – ($200 million in salary/winnings; $60 million in endorsements).
Sportico's list included athletes from eight sports and 28 countries. The top 100 list and Sportico’s rankings methodology can be reviewed in their entirety here.
Sportico's list in 2024 featured a total of six boxers, with Tyson Fury, No. 3 in the world at $147 million, and Oleksandr Usyk, No. 7 at $122 million, topping the rankings for fighters.
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring's lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.
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