Floyd Mayweather Jr., the reigning welterweight champion of the world and boxing's pound-for-pound king, is also the highest paid athlete in the world, according to SI.com.
According to Sports Illustrated's annual list, Mayweather is expected to take in a staggering $90 million this year, $33.5 million more than the next athlete on the list, LeBron James of the Miami Heat.
Mayweather was victorious in his last fight, a May 4th battle with Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero in which the welterweight champ easily won a unanimous decision against his overmatched challenger. Mayweather walked away from that bout with a cool $32 million, matching his take from his previous bout with the more-famous Miguel Cotto.
The boxer, who has nicknamed himself "Money" even generates vast windfalls for his opponents. While Guerrero was subjected to a beating at the fast hands of "Money" Mayweather, he walked away with $3 million, a full $2 million increase over his previous bout with Andre Berto, which was a 2012 Fight of the Year candidate.
Mayweather has committed to fighting again as early as September, which would mark the first time he has fought more than once in a single year since 2007, when he took on Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. Some speculate his next opponent will be Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, a Mexican superstar who brings a far greater fan base to the table than Guerrero did. Alvarez is also considered a much tougher opponent as well, and his size will likely necessitate that the fight be fought at a catchweight.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was third on Sports Illustrated's list at $47.8 million. Los Angeles Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant ranked fourth, pulling in slightly under $47 million while golf titan Tiger Woods rounded out the top five with $40.8 million. Fifth is Woods' lowest figure since the list was created in 2004.
Woods held the top spot from 2002 through 2010, finally ceding his No. 1 ranking to Mayweather last year.
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