Saturday, May 30, 2026

The Highest-Paid Professional Boxers in the World

  • Jake Paul has earned over $100 million since turning pro in 2020.
  • Oleksander Usyk was the highest-earning active boxer as of early 2025.
Canelo Alvarez
Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports

Boxing has been a sport that captivates worldwide attention during its biggest fights. Boxers also get a chance to cash in from the huge spotlight cast on them in the ring. Oleksandr Usyk tops the list of highest-paid active pro boxers in 2025. 

The Ukrainian-born heavyweight has held the unified heavyweight championship belt since 2021 and defeated Tyson Fury in back-to-back matches in 2024 to help send Fury into retirement in early 2025.

Though Fury made more in 2024 due in large part to those fights, Usyk earned $120 million over the past year to put him top among active boxers after Fury’s retirement.

Usyk is a perfect 23-0 in his professional boxing career with 14 victories by knockout.

Second on the list is super middleweight Canelo Alvarez. Canelo has amassed over $200 million in his career, including $65 million last year.

He’s arguably the biggest star in boxing today and draws huge crowds when he comes to town.

Third is British superstar Anthony Joshua, who earned $50 million last year. Joshua’s 2024 campaign was cut short due to an elbow surgery, and he’s currently plotting his return to the ring at some point in 2025.

Fourth is YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Paul earned at least $40 million in his late 2024 bout against Mike Tyson, despite streaming issues

Although he’s earned tons of money through his other businesses and social media, Paul has quickly become one of boxing’s biggest earners. 

Rounding out the top five Naoya Inoue, who’s held championships across multiple weight classes in his career. He most recently defeated Ramon Cardenas by TKO in May 2025 to retain his bantamweight world championship belts.

Ranking The Highest-Earning Professional Boxers

Here is the entire list of the highest-earning active boxers of 2025. The list is compiled with data from Sportico.

  • Updated: May 30, 2025
RankFighterWeight ClassCareer Record2024 Compensation
1Oleksander UsykHeavyweight23-0$122 million
2Canelo AlvarezSuper Middleweight63-2-2$73 million
3Anthony JoshuaHeavyweight28-4$60 million
4Jake PaulCruiserweight11-1$48 million
5Naoya InoueBantamweight30-0$42 million

Related highest-paid lists:

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for
The Memo Newsletter

Get the biggest stories and best analysis on the business of sports delivered to your inbox twice every weekday and twice on weekends.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Close’s New UCLA Contract Has Discounted WNBA Buyout Clause

Close has been the UCLA women’s basketball head coach since 2011.

Stafford Signs $55 Million Extension With Rams

The 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player receives a sizable pay increase.
Oct 9, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Deontay Wilder (red/black trunks) is knocked out by Tyson Fury (black/gold trunks) during their WBC/Lineal heavyweight championship boxing match at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Netflix Continues Boxing Push With Fury–Joshua Superfight

Fury and Joshua have both previously fought on Netflix events.

Featured Today

Frances Cabral-Delaney

How Arsenal Fandom Went ‘Manic’

“People do not become Arsenal fans because it’s easy,” says Zohran Mamdani.
May 23, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Fans participate in a tarp off during a MLB game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium
May 28, 2026

‘Tarps Off’: How Shirtless Fans Took Over MLB

The viral movement began with the SFA club baseball team.
Apr 6, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) walks to the on deck circle during the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field
May 28, 2026

Why Ballparks Are Louder Than Ever

Some stadiums sound like veritable nightclubs. How did we get here?
May 24, 2026; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats attack Kathryn Ratanaproeksa (13) shoots against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half at Martin Stadium
May 26, 2026

Can Women’s Lacrosse Buck the Trend in College Sports?

The sport is fighting to prove its worth in the revenue-sharing era.

Shedeur Sanders Banked $17.7M in NFLPA Licensing Income

Sanders shattered the record set by Tom Brady in the 2021 season.
Jannik Sinner
May 28, 2026

French Open Favorite Jannik Sinner Suffers Second-Round Upset

It was 91 degrees Fahrenheit during the match.
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 28, 2026 Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in action during his second round match against France's Moise Kouame REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
May 29, 2026

French Open Fines Player for ‘Sexist’ Comments Toward Female Umpire

Vallejo said his female official couldn’t handle a “demanding crowd.”
Sponsored

The Hidden Economy of Race Weekend

Learn more about the Vintage Flying Museum and how Spectrum Business is helping them achieve their business goals while fueling their dreams.
May 26, 2026

French Open Organizers Meet With Players After Media Protest

Players are asking for 22% of revenue by 2030.
May 24, 2026; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kristian Gkolomeev (GRE) poses with Enhanced co-founder Max Martin after setting a world record in the 50m freestyle of 21.81 during the Enhanced Games at Resorts World Las Vegas.
May 25, 2026

Clean Athletes Stole the Show at the Enhanced Games

Three clean athletes won events against performance-enhancing peers.
May 22, 2026

Sabalenka, Sinner Lead Coordinated Media Protest at French Open

The players are seeking increased revenue and improved benefits from Grand Slams.
Sponsored

Volpe Brings Style to the Bronx

With the New York Yankees & Anthony Volpe, Charles Tyrwhitt is bringing its decades-long playbook to one of sports’ biggest stages.