On Wednesday, sports media outlet Sportico released its annual list of the 100 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World, and once again, it was a tough year for combat sports. Just like last year, no MMA fighters made the cut. Despite boxing having some record-breaking numbers in 2024, only six boxers managed to crack the list.

Surprisingly, some of the sport’s biggest names—including Gervonta Davis and Terence Crawford—were absent. Even more shocking was the ranking of Canelo Alvarez, the Mexican superstar who had an action-packed year yet found himself far from the top of the list.

Canelo Alvarez’s packed year was not enough

According to Sportico’s list, the unified super middleweight champion ranked 20th on the list. He reportedly earned $73 million, out of which $65 million came from his salary and winnings while the remaining $8 million came from his endorsements. While $73 million looks like a huge amount, it is nowhere near compared to the jaw-dropping $215 million earned by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Canelo Alvarez had two title defenses last year against Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga. It is a well-known fact that ‘Cinnamon’ likes to take nearly 80% of all the money that his fights usually generate and this was true for both of his clashes. For his clash against Munguia in May, he reportedly took $30 million home while his opponent had a salary of nearly $10 million.

The same trend happened when Alvarez stepped into the ring in September against Berlanga. A report on ‘The Sportster‘ suggested Edgar Berlanga’s purse hovering between $1-3 million. Against it, Canelo Alvarez’s reported take-home stood at nearly $35 million. The recent list released by Sportico confirmed that the reports were indeed true.

The same trend is likely to follow this year as well and Cinnamon will take most of the earnings from his matches. However, with his new four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, his figures will be far more inflated. After all, many fighters have already benefitted largely by signing a deal with the Saudis.

The top earners of 2024

Making dream fights is still the best way to earn money in boxing. 2024 proved that more than anything Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk were the top earners in boxing. While ‘The Gypsy King’ was ranked third with $147 million, the unified heavyweight champion was at 7th with $122 million. The duo fought against each other twice last year and had no other opponents. Fury earned $140 million for the two fights while Usyk had a salary of $120 million from those two fights.

After the heavyweight duo, Canelo Alvarez was the highest-ranked boxer, followed by Anthony Joshua, who came in 30th. Joshua also had two fights in 2024, both under the Riyadh Season banner, and earned $60 million in the process. The other boxers that the list featured are Jake Paul on 52nd with $48 million earnings and Bantamweight king Naoya Inoue at 82nd with $42 million earnings.

Joining hands with the Saudis is the best way to earn money in boxing right now. With Canelo Alvarez signing the blockbuster deal and reportedly earning a 9-figure payday for his dream fight against Terence Crawford, we might see him at the top of the list this year.

Do you think that the new deal will help Canelo Alvarez? Let us know your thoughts down below.