Canelo Alvarez tops Forbes list of boxing’s top P4P moneymakers

We all know that simply being a good fighter doesn’t necessarily make you popular in this business. Boxing is just as much about showmanship and marketing as it is about your production inside the ring. So Forbes magazine just unveiled their list of boxing’s top pound-for-pound moneymakers. Check it out.

1. Canelo Alvarez. This should come really as no surprise to anyone. Golden Boy’s cash cow topped last year’s Forbes list and took two fights this year against Amir Khan and Liam Smith. Neither of those fights were mainstream successes, but Canelo is still the biggest draw in the sport and a potential fight with Gennady Golovkin would earn him a pretty penny.
2. Andre Ward. Despite whatever controversy there was in his PPV showdown with Sergey Kovalev, Ward did earn $5M for the fight. A sequel could potentially earn him much more. Ward moves up from Forbes #3 spot last year.
3. Gennady Golovkin. A fan favorite who even a casual audience can gravitate to because of his relentless seek-and-destroy style. Knockouts don’t hurt either, and Golovkin has 23 straight. A big fight with Canelo Alvarez could been looming for the fall. Golovkin was previously #2 on the list.
4. Sergey Kovalev. The Russian puncher holds the same spot as last year. Many believe Kovalev deserved the win over Ward when they fought in November, but he did earn a guaranteed purse of $2M for his trouble.
5. Manny Pacquiao. Pac-Man is back on the list after a short hiatus. There’s no question that even as an aging star Pacquiao remains one of most popular fighters around the world. Jeff Horn is rumored to be in consideration for his next fight as promoter Bob Arum considers taking Pacquiao on a boxing world tour for the last stretch of his career.
6. Wladimir Klitschko/Anthony Joshua. Forbes decides to lump both of these heavyweights together as they prepare for their April fight. Klitschko is already an established name and Joshua appears to be on the brink of superstardom. A win over Klitschko would be huge for his brand.
7. Keith Thurman. “One Time” had a big-time fight against Shawn Porter which drew big ratings (peaking at 3.94M viewers on CBS) and earned him a $1.4M payday. Next up is a unification fight with Danny Garcia which should also draw serious interest.
8. Deontay Wilder. Earned a $1.4M payday for beating Chris Arreola after losing out on a $4.5M haul because of the Alexander Povetkin fallout. He suffered a few injuries which had him on the shelf for the second half of 2016, but big fights await him in the heavyweight division.
9. Terence Crawford. Won three fights on HBO this year which included a dud of a PPV against Viktor Postol. Crawford could really break out into the mainstream if he could just land a fight with Manny Pacquiao, but that idea has been shelved by the powers that be for the time being.
10. Vasyl Lomachenko. The Ukrainian earned a $1M purse in just his eighth professional fight against Nicholas Walters. Lomachenko won that fight in good fashion and is now debated as perhaps the best talent in the entire world. At age 28, and with the momentum he already has, Lomachenko could be making bank for years to come.