5 Boxers Who Made Serious Money Outside Of Boxing
There are plenty of sports that are lucrative and offer nine-figure contracts. Think of basketball and baseball where those types of contracts get handed out like candy. However, those contracts typically last around a decade before the full amount of money is paid to the athlete. Then, you have boxing, which can pay you over $100 million for a single fight if the demand is high enough.
Not every big time boxer is going to get to that level of making hundreds of millions in the ring, but that’s just fine. There are other ways for a boxer to get into business ventures that pad their net worth massively. Here are five boxers who made some serious money outside the ring using their star status to get ahead.
5. Floyd Mayweather
No boxer in the sport’s history has had bigger in-ring payouts than the undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather. For just his one fight against Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather earned $180 million, and he has amassed a net worth of around $450 million over the years. Obviously, not all of that is from his in-ring payouts, as Mayweather has been able to earn plenty of cash from his star status.
Mayweather not only has his own promotion company, but he also runs a gentleman’s club, a roller skating rink, and even a racing team. Of course, Mayweather’s businesses are all based out of Las Vegas, where he’s had some of his biggest matches.
4. Conor McGregor
It might be cheating just a bit to add Conor McGregor to the list since he’s mostly known for his time in mixed martial arts, but McGregor has gotten into the ring as a boxer, as well. Of course, his lone professional match in a boxing ring came against the previously mentioned Floyd Mayweather, with Mayweather winning the bout via technical knockout in the 10th round. McGregor has a net worth of $200 million, and has been able to market himself brilliantly.
McGregor has a ton of endorsements that include Beats by Dre, Reebok and Bud Light. On top of that, McGregor has made a lot of money from the Irish whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve. McGregor had a majority stake in the whiskey, selling it to Proximo Spirits in 2021 for a cool $150 million.
3. Vitali Klitschko
Vitali Klitschko isn’t the richest boxer in the world, but he certainly has a comfortable net worth at nearly $100 million. Klitschko was one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all-time before he retired, winning 15 different matches with the world heavyweight title on the line. Once he retired, Klitschko stayed in the public eye while getting into politics, though it isn’t his time as mayor that made him super wealthy.
Klitschko runs his own investment firm called Klitschko Ventures, which has earned him millions more over the years. “My experience has shown me that I can achieve more with good partners by my side and reach my goal more quickly,” Klitschko said. “That is why I live according to this principle and let others share my knowledge.”
2. Oscar De La Hoya
If you ask any casual fan to naem a handful of boxers off the top of their head, and there’s a good chance that they would mention Oscar De La Hoya. If you were to then ask them to mention their favorite match of his, they likely wouldn’t be able to tell you. That’s because “The Golden Boy” has been able to establish a great post-boxing career for himself, and now has a net worth of $170 million.
De La Hoya launched several business ventures following his fighting career, including his own Golden Boy Promotions that kept some of his money in the sport. Other investments for De La Hoya include the fast food chain BurgerFi, an ownership stake in Major League Soccer and even a tequila brand.
1. George Foreman
Of course, you can’t talk about boxers that have made big money outside of the ring without mentioning the great George Foreman. Foreman was a tremendous boxer who won 76 of his 81 professional fights, earning himself multiple heavyweight championships. Foreman became an entrepreneur following his fighting career, and amassed a net worth of $300 million.
Much of that money came from the George Foreman Grill, which was actually invented by Michael Boehm and Robert Johnson. Foreman attached his name and likeness to the product, though, earning him a massive amount of the revenue. After more than 100 million grills were sold, the rights to the product earned Foreman nearly $140 million.
