20 Richest Boxers of All Time

By Walton Yeboah-Amoako

20 Richest Boxers of All Time

Richest Boxers of All Time
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In professional boxing, there are minnows and there are sharks. The richest boxers of all time all have one thing in common — they devoured their opponents on their quest to build huge financial empires. Many athletes compete for the love of the game, but in a dangerous sport like boxing, most fighters compete solely for the money and the fame. They don't call them prize fighters for nothing. Here's a list of top 20 richest boxers of all time.

20. Juan Manuel Marquez – $20 Million Net Worth

Juan Manuel Marquez 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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20. Juan Manuel Marquez – $20 Million Net Worth

Juan Manuel Marquez 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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As boxing's Rodney Dangerfield, Juan Manuel Marquez never got the respect that he deserved in his first three fights with Manny Pacquiao. In the fight business, if you can't beat them by points, beat them by a knockout, and that's exactly what happened on December 8, 2012 in Las Vegas, NV. Marquez hit Pacquiao so hard with a devastating right hand that referee Kenny Bayless didn't even bother counting. Mexican fighters don't quit, they hit.

19. Carl Froch – $20 Million Net Worth

Carl Froch 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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19. Carl Froch – $20 Million Net Worth

Carl Froch 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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As the pride of Nottingham, Carl Froch is one of the toughest boxers on the planet. Froch doesn't hide from any opponent and as a super middleweight, he's fought some of the best. Froch avenged his lost to Mikkel Kessler in 2013 via unanimous decision, and his only other loss came at the hands of Andre Ward; an undefeated fighter. Lately, Froch has only been felled by Rachael Cordingley, his long-time girlfriend who he proposed to in the ring.

18. Joe Calzaghe – $21 Million Net Worth

Joe Calzaghe 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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18. Joe Calzaghe – $21 Million Net Worth

Joe Calzaghe 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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At 46-0, you'd think you'd hear more about Joe Calzaghe, because there's another guy out there with one more win and an unblemished record who lets the whole world know how good he is. Calzaghe is undoubtedly the best fighter out of Wales, and he may even be the best British fighter ever. He fought big names like Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler, Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr, and he beat them all. Calzaghe, now a Hall of Famer, retired in 2009.

17. Felix Trinidad – $30 Million Net Worth?

Felix Trinidad 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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17. Felix Trinidad – $30 Million Net Worth?

Felix Trinidad 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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Before Miguel Cotto became the face of Puerto Rican boxing, Felix "Tito" Trinidad wore the title with pride. Trinidad's fame exploded when he beat Oscar De La Hoya back in 1999 in a majority decision. Tito would then go on to defeat Fernando Vargas and William Joppy in TKO fashion, before he suffered his only TKO loss at the hands of Bernard Hopkins. Outside of the ring, Tito allegedly lost tens of millions of dollars in Puerto Rican bonds.

16. Amir Khan – $30 Million Net Worth

Amir Khan 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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16. Amir Khan – $30 Million Net Worth

Amir Khan 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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Is Amir Khan just a mere con? I think so. With the exception of his impressive victory over Marcos Maidana in 2010, Khan has basically feasted on washed up boxers who were way past their prime. Now this con-artist is trying to land a mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather because the Brits may even love boxing more than the Americans. However, Khan will never live down the beat down administered to him by Breidis Prescott back in 2008. Who? Exactly.

15. Anthony Mundine – $30 Million Net Worth

Anthony Mundine 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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15. Anthony Mundine – $30 Million Net Worth

Anthony Mundine 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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True Aussies know their soccer, but they also know who Anthony Mundine is. 39-year-old Australian boxer Mundine, has had a quiet career as far as the headlines go, but he's definitely made a fine living from his trade. Recently, Mundine tried to trade shots with Ghanaian boxer Joshua Clottey, but Clottey floored him five times to win the bout unanimously. Mundine's pro boxing debut came at the age of 25. Before boxing, he was a rugby player.

14. Wladimir Klitschko – $30 Million Net Worth

Wladimir Klitschko 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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14. Wladimir Klitschko – $30 Million Net Worth

Wladimir Klitschko 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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To the surprise of many, the Klitschko's aren't twins; they're just brothers, and Wladimir Klitschko has carved out his own identity as Vitali Klitschko's younger brother by five years. Wladimir hasn't lost a fight in 10 years as he and his older brother have held the heavyweight division on lock-down. Recently, Wladimir has made more headlines outside of the ring than inside by impregnating his 25-year-old fiancée, actress Hayden Panettiere.

13. Naseem Hamed – $33 Million Net Worth

Naseem Hamed 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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13. Naseem Hamed – $33 Million Net Worth

Naseem Hamed 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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If Amir Khan was the fake, then it's only because "Prince" Naseem Hamed set the bar so high as the real deal. Hamed was a British boxer who put on a show like Muhammad Ali. He was flashy, braggadocios, and extremely elusive. Hamed boxed with his hands down since he didn't feel the need to protect his pretty face from his opponents. He lost only once in his 37-fight career and he retired at 28, because boxing was damaging his hands too badly.

12. Shane Mosley – $35 Million Net Worth

Shane Mosley 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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12. Shane Mosley – $35 Million Net Worth

Shane Mosley 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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When he was on top of his game, "Sugar" Shane Mosley was all but sweet. Mosley is a legend because he fought everybody in his weight class that mattered. Mosley never feared losing, and he lost many fights in his career. However, he never lost to a lesser fighter until he shamed himself by coming out of retirement again, to get destroyed by Anthony Mundine in 2013. Mosley will go down like the Utah Jazz in Jordan's day. Close, but no cigar.

11. Bernard Hopkins – $40 Million Net Worth

Bernard Hopkins 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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11. Bernard Hopkins – $40 Million Net Worth

Bernard Hopkins 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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Philadelphia's finest, or Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins as he's better know as, is boxing's age-less wonder. At the age of 49, Hopkins became the oldest boxer ever to win a world title, defend a world title and also unify a weight division, when he beat 31-year-old Beibut Shumenov. Boxing is a brutal sport so how is this man still dominating at 49? Who knows, but one thing's for sure; boxing will retire Hopkins, and not the other way around.

10. Ricky Hatton – $40 Million Net Worth

Ricky Hatton 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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10. Ricky Hatton – $40 Million Net Worth

Ricky Hatton 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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There's only one Ricky Hatton, and during his reign, he was the people's champ of Great Britain. Hatton rose to international fame when he fought Floyd Mayweather back in 2007 in the battle of the undefeated boxers. Thousands of British supporters flooded Las Vegas, Nev. to give Hatton the "home-field advantage" feel as they sang 'Hatton Wonderland', but he was forced to throw in the towel after he was completely over-matched against Mayweather.

9. Marvin Hagler – $45 Million Net Worth

Marvin Hagler 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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9. Marvin Hagler – $45 Million Net Worth

Marvin Hagler 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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"Marvelous" Marvin Hagler was the Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson of his day. Hagler was a very successful boxer, because he won 12 titles and fought boxing legends like Roberto Durán and Sugar Ray Leonard during his time. Like Johnson, Hagler legally changed his name in order to force the sports world to call him by his preferred title — Marvelous. Hagler was known for his punching power, and no middleweight fighter has matched his 78 percent KO rate.

8. Muhammad Ali – $50 Million Net Worth

Muhammad Ali 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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8. Muhammad Ali – $50 Million Net Worth

Muhammad Ali 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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With all of his fame, one would think that the self-proclaimed "Greatest of All Time" boxer Muhammad Ali would rank higher on this list, but the facts are the facts. However, no boxer is more revered than Ali, because he boxed during a time when the top boxers were arguably the most recognizable athletes in the world. Ali made a lot of money, and he put it where his mouth was by winning in the ring and by living the life of a philanthropist.

7. Vitali Klitschko – $65 Million Net Worth

Vitali Klitschko 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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7. Vitali Klitschko – $65 Million Net Worth

Vitali Klitschko 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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With a PhD in Sports Science and a Master's Degree in "Managing Social Development", Vitali "Dr. Ironfist" Klitschko is nobody's fool. Early in his career, Vitali and his younger brother Vladimir evaded the "Don King trap" as they rejected King's offer to work as their promoter. Klitschko went on to have an illustrious career as a boxer and his most notable fight was his blood-bath with Lennox Lewis. Today, Klitschko is working as a politician.

6. Manny Pacquiao – $100 Million Net Worth

Manny Pacquiao 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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6. Manny Pacquiao – $100 Million Net Worth

Manny Pacquiao 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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No Filipino is more recognizable than Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao, and his boxing career put the Philippines on the map. As the pride of the Philippines, Pacquiao has the distinction as the only boxer to win a title in eight different weight divisions, and he flew up the ranks in dominating fashion. Pac-Man was once known for his devastating punching power, but with other time-consuming interests like politics, he's clearly not the same boxer today.

5. Sugar Ray Leonard – $120 Million Net Worth

Sugar Ray Leonard 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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5. Sugar Ray Leonard – $120 Million Net Worth

Sugar Ray Leonard 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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In order to be a Hall of Famer in boxing, you have to beat the Hall of Famers, and Sugar Ray Leonard beat them all. With victories over Roberto Durán, Tommy Hearns and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, nobody can ever accuse Leonard of ducking the best fighters in his era. Leonard was the first boxer to earn more than $ 100 million in purses, and as a savvy businessman, he's "writing the book" on how boxers should extend their wealth after retirement.

4. Lennox Lewis – $140 Million Net Worth

Lennox Lewis 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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4. Lennox Lewis – $140 Million Net Worth

Lennox Lewis 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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Before the British fell in love with Ricky Hatton, Lennox Lewis was the face of British boxing. Lewis was the size of an NFL tight end at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds. Lewis was the last great heavyweight fighter before the Klitschko brothers came in and cornered the market on the division. He defeated Vitali Klitschko by bloodying his eye which caused the ref to stop the fight, and he also beat the Tyson and Holyfield in his prime.

3. Oscar de la Hoya – $200 Million Net Worth

Oscar de la Hoya 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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3. Oscar de la Hoya – $200 Million Net Worth

Oscar de la Hoya 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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The "Golden Boy" Oscar de la Hoya, is the greatest Mexican-American fighter of all time. The East L.A. native was known for his blistering speed and his relentless attack, which led him to defeat 17 world champions on his quest to greatness. De La Hoya moved from the boxing side to the promotional side full-time in 2009, when he announced his retirement from the sport, and he has names like Floyd Mayweather and Saúl Álvarez linked to Golden Boy.

2. George Foreman – $250 Million Net Worth

George Foreman 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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2. George Foreman – $250 Million Net Worth

George Foreman 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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You may know him as the Midas Man or the bald guy with the grill. However, before he became a successful, smiling salesman, George Foreman was a mean brute in the ring. Foreman famously lost to Muhammad Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle" back in 1974, but he still went on to accomplish great things as a fighter. At the age of 45, Foreman returned to boxing after being retired for 10 years and he beat 27-year-old Michael Moorer — enough said.

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. – $295 Million Net Worth

Floyd Mayweather Jr. 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. – $295 Million Net Worth

Floyd Mayweather Jr. 20 Richest Boxers of All Time
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Who else would be at the No. 1 spot on the list? The guy uses "money" as his moniker for Pete's sake. Love him or hate him, Floyd Mayweather Jr. knows how to sell a fight. According to the most recent Forbes report, Mayweather made a whopping $ 105 million last year from just two fights! In the ring, he's virtually untouchable, but when he retires, his lack of major endorsement deals (zero to date) may be his financial undoing — time will tell.

Walton Yeboah-Amoako is a Columnist for www.RantSports.com.  Follow him on Twitter @WaltYeboah, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

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