Boxing is a vicious sport where you put your pride, heart, and face on the line as fighters step inside the ring to see who can inflict the most damage. In essence, anyone that competes in this realm is a modern-day gladiator.
The good news is that when boxers put their body on the line like that, they get paid out handsomely – if they’re successful. Boxing can bring in millionaires, and a number of boxers have cracked a six-figure net worth.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the top ten richest boxers in the world with the biggest net worth of all-time.
15. Naseem Hamed
- $33 million
Retired from boxing, Naseem Hamed is considered one of the best British boxers and started his boxing career in 1992.
Hamed had delighted audiences by flying into the ring on a ‘flying carpet’, a Chevy Impala, and performing a reenactment of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video. His losses? Hamed’s only clocked one loss, in 2001, happened during his second-final boxing match.
Since his retirement from the ring, Hamed has opened Naseem Hamed Enterprises, which focuses on real estate development and investment. Naseem Hamed Enterprises has net assets of 3.4 million.
14. Bernard Hopkins
- $40 million
Bernard “Executioner” Hopkins is actually one of the oldest men to win a championship title at 46. Hopkins competed from 1988 to 2016 and held the IBF World Champion in boxing in 1995. He competed in 67 fights, had 55 wins, 32 wins by KO, 8 losses, 2 draws, and 2 no contests. He also greatly contributed to Congress passing the Muhammad Ali act, which states: (1) protect the rights and welfare of boxers; (2) aid state boxing commissions with the oversight of boxing; and (3) increase sportsmanship and integrity within the boxing industry (See 114 Stat. 321(3)(2000)
Hopkins was known for his stamina and ability to endure in the ring, something he’s brought to his personal and professional career outside of the ring. He’s an investor in Golden Boy Promotions, has earned an honorary degree, and largely works in boxing promotion.
13. Amir Khan
- $40 million
One of the most well-paid boxers, Amir Khan started boxing as a kid, winning gold at the 2003 Junior Olympics, and a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Not only has Khan made an impressive amount of money from boxing, but he was also paid $13 million for just one fight against Saul Alvarez.
Khan’s earned money through participating in documentaries like Meet the Khans, and also as a promoter with his company Khan Promotions, owns Pakistan’s Amir Khan Academy and co-owns India’s Super Boxing League and Super Fight League, India’s MMA. He also has a charity, the Amir Khan Foundation.
12. Ricky Hatton
- $40 million
Ricky Hatton, another Brit on our list, is retired from boxing but held world championships in the light-welterweight and welterweight categories.
Hatton also ranks 11th in BoxingRec’s‘ list of greatest European fighters.
Since retiring from the ring in 2012, Hatton has worked as a boxing trainer and promoter, training champions like Zhanat Zhakiyanov.
11. ‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler
- Estimated Net Worth: $45 Million
‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler was a boxer unlike anything we have ever seen in the middleweight division. From 1980 to 1987, he was the undisputed champ as his knockout power and southpaw style were incredibly feared in the ring. He reigned over the division for six years and seven months, which is the second-longest stretch ever in boxing.
What’s crazy is that in his time, even fighting some of the best out there, he was never really knocked down. The only time he actually hit the canvas is still disputed to this day.
Marvelous Marvin ended his career on a loss but then moved into the acting world a small bit to help himself out financially. In 2021, Hagler’s net worth is $45 million, which helps him make our list of richest boxers.
10. Muhammad Ali
- $50 million (At time of death)
9. Anthony Joshua
- Estimated Net Worth: $60 Million
Anthony Joshua is one of the most recent names added to the list as he’s still active. He’s mostly here because he first jumped onto the scenes at the 2012 London Games. After his success in the Olympics, Joshua started to box professionally, quickly rising up the ranks in the heavyweight division. He was able to work his way to a world title back in 2016 and the endorsements have only risen from that point on.
Nowadays, he is a big partner with Under Armor, Hugo Boss and Beats headphones, among many others. “AJ” is still raking in a lot of cash with his pay-per-view fights on top of all of those endorsements.
We’re all still waiting on the Tyson Fury-Joshua mega-fight, which is expected to happen next year. When it does, his net worth will rocket past $60 million.
8. Wladimir Klitschko
- Estimated Net Worth: $65 Million
One of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, Wladimir Klitschko was able to have full control over the title for an incredibly long period of time. According to one report, Wladimir held onto his champion title for 4,382 days before losing it. In that time span he grew a tremendous amount of popularity and was bringing home massive payday’s consistently – including his big bouts with Lennox Lewis.
All of those world titles he was earning helped his net worth jump up to $65 million.
7. Vitali Klitschko
- Estimated Net Worth: $80 Million
Brother of Wladimir, it might surprise you to see that he’s netted more than his sibling. The Ukrainian boxer was able to prove his dominance in the heavyweight division for a long time. Vitali and his younger brother were breaking records constantly, which is why their era is often known as the Klitschko Era.
Nicknamed Dr. Ironfist, Vitali became a world champion before finding other opportunities outside of the sport. He became the mayor of Kyiv in Ukraine to further boost his net worth and that diversity has helped his financial gains. He’s now sitting on about $80 million.
6. ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard
- Estimated Net Worth: $120 Million
‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard is often described as one of the best boxers to ever step into the ring. Back then, boxing stars were iconic legends. Nowadays, other than Floyd Mayweather, they rarely reach the same type of superstar status.
Leonard was just a rare mix of both speed and athleticism that many opponents weren’t able to handle. One of the top boxers we’ve ever seen, Leonard competed across five weight classes to help take his boxing revenue to over $100 million throughout two decades of fighting. Leonard pursued other opportunities after he retired, such as becoming a motivational speaker, which helped boost his net worth up to $120 million.
