As Canelo Alvarez looks set to earn a record fee for his fight with Terence Crawford, could the fight be one of the highest-grossing bouts of all time?
Money in boxing has exploded in recent years, with more and more fighters earning record sums to fight around the world in dream super fights.
In this article, we’ll rank the five highest-grossing fights of all time, ahead of Canelo’s clash with Crawford, which could smash the Mexican’s previous record against a 50-0 legend of the sport
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5. Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis ($112 million)
As the only fight on this list not involving a certain individual, the fight between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis being such a massive draw is a testament to both men.
The two Heavyweight legends faced off in 2002, where an aging Tyson challenged the undisputed Heavyweight champion Lewis in his last chance to return to the top of the division.
While he was unsuccessful in his endeavor, the bout was a huge success in terms of drawing money.
The duo drew huge interest, selling record amounts of pay-per-views worldwide as fans were curious to see who would win this much-hyped battle.
The fight grossed a reported $112 million, which was the record for the highest-grossing boxing match in history.
That has since been beaten, exclusively with fights involving the highest-earning boxer in history.
4. Floyd Mayweather vs Oscar De La Hoya ($150 million)
In one of two fights that grossed over $150 million, Mayweather took the torch as boxing’s biggest draw from Oscar De La Hoya in a now-legendary title fight.
The two multi-weight champions were in different stages of their careers in 2007. De La Hoya was on the way out, planning a retirement tour that was cut short with his devastating defeat to Manny Pacquiao two years later, while Mayweather was establishing himself as the next big thing in the sport.
They crossed paths in a game-changing fight in 2007 that had the world on tenterhooks. The aging De La Hoya tried his best but couldn’t compete with the younger, faster, and slicker opponent, who dodged all of his biggest shots to win via a split decision on points.
This made Mayweather the new biggest draw in boxing, as the rest of this list will clearly show.
3. Floyd Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez ($150 million)
While his fight with Crawford could surpass this number, the $150 million Canelo drew when he took on Mayweather in 2013 is the third-highest-grossing fight in the history of boxing.
The 23-year-old was undefeated going into the fight, but agreed to come down to 152 lbs for a Catchweight bout against one of the greatest of all time.
The smaller Mayweather outboxed Canelo, using his speed and defensive capabilities to their absolute maximum, as he neutralized the threat of the Mexican fighter with ease.
While the fight didn’t end in a knockout, Mayweather dominated the bout and was rightly awarded the victory on the scorecards by the judges that night.
2. Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor ($400 million)
The crossover fight between the biggest stars in boxing and UFC became one of the highest-grossing fights in history when it came together in 2017.
Reportedly, over $400 million was generated for the clash between Mayweather and Conor McGregor, buoyed by the incredible entertaining build-up carried by “Notorious”.
He regularly insulted Mayweather, claiming he dressed like a child and mentioned his bald head, as fans became compelled to tune in when these two champions faced off.
Despite it being his debut in boxing, McGregor held up well against a man chasing his 50th win without defeat. The Irishman dished out some good hits, but “Money” was too fast and too slick to sustain any meaningful damage.
The fight lasted 11 rounds before Mayweather put McGregor away, ending a spectacular night for combat sports in style.
1. Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather ($600 million)
The super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather tops the charts as the highest-grossing boxing match of all time, and by some distance.
The May 2, 2015, fight brought together two of the all-time greats, who had been trying to get a big-money fight put together for at least six years.
While they weren’t quite in their primes by the time the bout came around, public interest in seeing these two boxing behemoths battling had not waned.
Fans poured into the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the bout, as it drew more money than any fight in history.
Mayweather vs Pacquiao is reported to have grossed over $600 million from things like ticket and pay-per-view revenue, earning both fighters record purses for the event.
While the action on display disappointed a portion of the boxing fanbase, a spectacle like this fight will not be seen for a long, long time.