According to a recent report from ESPN the Magazine, Manny Pacquiao is the best paid athlete in the world based on the 2010 calendar year or a sport’s most recent season. Actually, Pacquiao is tied for the lead with Alex Rodriguez, each of which brought in $32,000,000.
The report looks at 30 different sports, and it lists the highest paid athlete in each sport. That ranges from the $40,000 that women’s professional bowler Shannon Pluhowsky earns, all the way up the $32 million earned by Pac-man and A-Rod.
For what it’s worth, the highest paid MMA fighter was Brock Lesnar, earning $5.3 million. The huge disparity between the biggest earners in boxing and MMA, despite MMA’s popularity and success at the PPV box office, shows how underpaid UFC fighters are.
The report does not include endorsement money and sponsorships, and anything else besides the direct earnings of the individual from contract or salary. The $32 million for Pacquiao is an estimated figure based on his two 2010 bouts, against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito.
Floyd Mayweather, he of the flashy lifestyle, has typically topped the list of the highest paid boxers in recent years. However, his inactivity combined with Pacquiao’s ever-rising increase in popularity led to the change. Of course, should the two either meet, it’s likely that each one hauls in $30 million or more just for the one fight.
