Floyd Mayweather is on the track of becoming a billionaire athlete after dominating Conor McGregor in their bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last Saturday. According to Forbes, the boxing superstar will generate $1 billion in career earnings, which will not only make him one of the best boxers but also one of the richest athletes in the world.
Throughout his 21-year career, Mayweather received a reported $700 million in money prize from pay-per-view sales, ticket sales, and fight endorsements. As he finished McGregor in 10 rounds of their fight, the "Money Mayweather" was anticipated to make $300 million that would push to $1 billion in career earnings.
Mayweather said the McGregor fight was his last fight as he announced retirement with a perfect 50-0 record.
Mayweather in billionaire athlete club
As Forbes listed Mayweather as one of the world's highest earning athletes, Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, anticipated that Mayweather would become a member of billionaire athlete club along with the most recognizable names in Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. They both have generated more than $1 billion, respectively.
Jordan became a billionaire for the first time in 2015, thanks to his endorsement deals as well as his ownership of the NBA team, the Charlotte Hornets. The Hall of Fame player, who won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, is the most marketable individual who holds lucrative endorsement contracts with brands, including Nike's Jordan Brand, Gatorade, 2K Sports, Five Star Fragrances, Upper Deck and others.
Woods is also named as the richest athlete on the list. Forbes, which tracked athletes' earnings, cited in 2009 that Woods earned numerous victories in golf contests and his endorsement deals, which led him to become the first billion-dollar person in sports. Woods' value as an athlete has dipped in recent years. Despite being arguably the most popular athlete in Professional Golfers' Association, he has not won a major tournament for nine years.
Corporate sponsors backed out when Woods faced previous legal incidents.
The next billionaire athlete?
LeBron James could be the next billionaire. Throughout his career, the Cleveland Cavaliers star generated millions from his National Basketball Association salary and lucrative endorsement deals. Two years ago, Nike inked James to a lifetime deal, considered to be the largest endorsement contract in company's history.
In 2003, when James made the jump to the pro from high school directly, Nike signed James to an endorsement contract worth $90 million. Since then, he eventually obtained marketing deals with corporate sponsors, including Coca-Cola, Beats by Dre, Kia Motor, Intel, Verizon and Blaze Pizza. James usually received investment advice from billionaire investor Warren Buffet.
