2017-02-23

As a young fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was known as Pretty Boy. He later changed his nickname to Money, and he certainly lived up to it.

Over the course of his career, Mayweather earned $695 million in the ring on his way to matching legendary heavyweight Rocky Marciano's 49-0 record -- and garnered nine world titles along the way. Beginning with a split-decision win over Oscar De La Hoya in 2007, Mayweather made at least $25 million for 12 straight fights.

After proving himself a major pay-per-view draw for HBO, the successful boxer signed a 30-month, six-fight deal with Showtime in 2013 that guaranteed him $32 million per bout, plus a percentage of PPV revenue. The contract ended after his unanimous decision win over Andre Berto on Sept. 12, 2015, and netted him $440 million over 2-1/2 years.

Mayweather, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on Feb. 24, retired with a perfect 49-0 record and 26 knockouts. And while there is much speculation about a return to the ring -- possibly for a crossover bout with mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor of the UFC -- any comeback the famed boxer makes won't be because he's short on cash. Mayweather is worth hundreds of millions.

Here's a look at Mayweather's top five paydays in the ring.

Manny Pacquiao

Date: May 2, 2015
Payout for Mayweather: $240 million

Mayweather and Pacquiao were rising champs in the early 2000s, and they were among the highest-paid athletes after their wins over Oscar De La Hoya (in 2007 and 2008, respectively). Soon after, boxing fans started clamoring for the sport's top draws to fight, but negotiations between the Mayweather and Pacquiao camps stalled for six years.

Shortly after the two fighters spoke face to face at an NBA game in Miami, it was announced that a showdown would take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in May 2015. The event -- which Mayweather won with a unanimous decision -- crushed all records for PPV buys (4.4 million) and revenue generated (more than $500 million).

Pacquiao fought with an injured shoulder and didn't give Mayweather the challenge fans expected. Despite Mayweather's 2015 retirement, rumors continue to swirl about a future rematch.

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Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez

Date: Sept. 14, 2013
Payout for Mayweather: $80 million

When Mayweather signed on to fight Saul Alvarez, the latter was a 23-year-old superstar in his native Mexico. At the time, Alvarez -- who goes by "Canelo," the Spanish word for cinnamon -- was undefeated with a record of 42-0-1.

The Mexican boxing phenom suffered a career hit when he fought Mayweather with their belts on the line. Mayweather won the bout via majority decision, earning a guaranteed $41.5 million for his efforts at the MGM Grand. His percentage of the 2.2 million PPV buys pushed his total up to an estimated $80 million. The fight set a record for the largest gross gate totals, bringing in $20 million in ticket sales. Only Mayweather's 2015 fight with Pacquiao made more money.

After the fight, Alvarez quickly reestablished himself as one of the world's top fighters. Now 26, the boxer has won six straight bouts and currently ranks No. 8 on The Ring's list of the best boxers on a pound-for-pound basis.

Miguel Cotto

Date: May 5, 2012
Payout for Mayweather: $45 million

In the final bout of his HBO contract, Mayweather moved up in weight to take on WBA world super welterweight then-champion, Miguel Cotto (154 pounds). The event, which was held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, saw Mayweather beat the Puerto Rican star by decision in one of the toughest fights of his career.

"You're the toughest guy I ever fought," Mayweather told Cotto after the bout.

Mayweather's guaranteed purse for the fight was $32 million, besting the $30 million record that Mike Tyson earned three times in his career. Mayweather's share of the PPV revenue pushed his total for the Cotto fight up to an impressive $45 million.

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Shane Mosley

Date: May 1, 2010
Payout for Mayweather: $40 million

At the age of 38, Shane Mosley was a five-time champion heading into his matchup with Floyd Mayweather Jr. However, youth trumped experience in this bout, and the 33-year-old Mayweather cruised to a lopsided unanimous decision over the veteran Mosley at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Mayweather was guaranteed $22.5 million for the Mosley battle, which ended up being one of the top-grossing PPV fights in history. The event sold 1.4 million views, trailing only Mayweather's fight with Oscar De La Hoya among non-heavyweight pay-per-view battles and upping Mayweather's payout significantly.

Victor Ortiz

Date: Sept. 17, 2011
Payout for Mayweather: $40 million

After winning the WBC welterweight belt in a previous bout with Berto, Victor Ortiz lost it to Mayweather in the biggest fight of Ortiz's career.

Ortiz said he complained to referee Joe Cortez about repeated elbows from Mayweather during the fourth round of the pair's MGM Grand bout. When Cortez did nothing to stop the alleged blows, Ortiz attempted to head butt the other boxer in retaliation. After, Ortiz said he felt bad and walked over to Mayweather to apologize. While Ortiz's hands were at his sides, Mayweather delivered a controversial combo that sent Ortiz to the canvas for good.

Mayweather made $25 million guaranteed for the fight, but PPV percentages upped his total earnings to $40 million. The New York Times reported that Mayweather paid Ortiz more than $2 million from his own pocket for the fight.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Floyd Mayweather’s Highest-Paying Boxing Fights

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