Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (right) in a boxing match. He is the 2nd highest-paid boxer in the world. Photo: Reproduction / Facebook
Boxer Saul "Canelo" Alvarez may not be at the peak of his boxing career, but his bank account, on the other hand, has nothing to complain about. In Forbes ' traditional list of the 10 highest-paid athletes in the world, the Mexican appears as the second highest-paid sportsman today, behind only Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to the traditional ranking, Canelo will have earned no less than US$170 million in 2025 , or R$850 million at the current exchange rate. These figures place him ahead of names like Messi (soccer), LeBron James (basketball), and Lewis Hamilton (motorsports). See the complete list below.
Of the money Canelo Alvarez has earned , US$160 million (R$800 million) comes from purses received for fights against William Scull in May 2025 and Terence Crawford in September of last year. Another US$10 million (R$50 million) comes from sponsorships.
Well paid, but far from Cristiano Ronaldo's fortune.
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Despite the high earnings, the gap to the top seems distant for Canelo Alvarez . This is because Cristiano Ronaldo, leader of the Forbes ranking, pocketed an incredible US$300 million, or more than R$1,5 billion at the current exchange rate. This is the fourth consecutive year that CR7 has topped the magazine's list of the highest-paid athletes in sports.
Canelo Alvarez's next fight
To remain among the highest-paid athletes in the sport, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has already set a date for his next fight. The Mexican will step into the ring against the undefeated Christian Mbilli on September 26th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Jake Paul is among the 25 highest-paid athletes.
Combat sports has another representative on the list of highest-paid athletes in 2025: American Jake Paul . The former YouTuber, who has been involved in boxing since 2020, is 23rd on the list. He will take home US$70 million in 2025, or R$350 million at the current exchange rate. Of this amount, US$60 million (R$300 million) comes from fight purses against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June and Anthony Joshua in December. On the other hand, US$10 million (R$50 million) comes from sponsorships received by the fighter outside of his fights.
MMA is off the list once again.
Forbes' list once again demonstrates the discrepancy between the salaries of major boxing stars compared to MMA stars. Before Canelo, Floyd Mayweather topped the list for several consecutive years; in addition, names like Manny Pacquiao and Jake Paul (in the top 25) were part of the list in previous years.
On the other hand, MMA hasn't seen an athlete among the highest-paid in the sport for a long time. Conor McGregor , in 2018, reached fourth place among the highest-paid , according to Forbes. However, his inclusion came precisely after his boxing superfight against Floyd Mayweather in August 2017.
See the 10 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2026.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (football) – US$ 300 million (R$ 1,5 billion at the current exchange rate)
- Canelo Alvarez placeholder image (boxing) – US$ 170 million (R$ 850 million at the current exchange rate)
- Lionel Messi (football) – US$ 140 million (R$ 700 million at the current exchange rate)
- LeBron James (basketball) – US$ 137,8 million (R$ 689 million at the current exchange rate)
- Shohei Ohtani (baseball) – US$ 127,6 million (R$ 638 million at the current exchange rate)
- Stephen Curry (basketball) – US$ 124,7 million (R$ 623,5 million at the current exchange rate)
- Jon Rahm (golf) – US$ 107 million (R$ 535 million at the current exchange rate)
- Karim Benzema (football) – US$ 104 million (R$ 520 million at the current exchange rate)
- Kevin Durant (basketball) – US$ 103,8 million (R$ 519 million at the current exchange rate)
- Lewis Hamilton (motor racing) – US$100 million (R$500 million at the current exchange rate)
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