Usyk entered the TOP-10 highest paid athletes in the world in 2024. He earned a large sum, but still less than Fury

The most commercially successful is Cristiano Ronaldo

Alexander Usik. Photo – Getty Images

WBA/WBC/WBO world boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk entered the TOP-10 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2024 – a rating that has been compiled for the third year in a row by the authoritative publication Sportico . The Ukrainian with a total income of 122 million dollars took seventh place. The most commercially successful athlete of last year was Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to experts, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury earned a total of $260 million for the two fights in Riyadh. The Gypsy King's total fee was higher – $140 million. Plus, the Briton earned more from commercial activities – seven million against two for Usyk.

But these amounts are far from Ronaldo's annual income of 260 million. The Portuguese has earned at least 100 million for eight years in a row, and 2024 was the second year in a row in which Cristiano earned more than 200 million dollars. Ronaldo's total wealth is estimated at more than 1.8 billion dollars.

The top 3, in addition to Ronaldo, include Stephen Curry and the already mentioned Fury. The top 10, in addition to the named four, include Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Neymar, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Jon Rahm.

Sportico conducted more than 40 interviews with industry insiders to estimate the income. The final salary figures do not include deferred compensation until it is paid. Commercial income includes income from sponsorship, licensing, royalties, media fees, publishing. It does not include equity stakes in brands that sports stars promote, with the exception of the income Lionel Messi received from Inter Miami when he joined the club: the amount is prorated over the duration of his 2.5-year contract and is included in the salary estimate. The top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2024 are here.

The threshold last year was quarterback Daniel Jones's income, $37.5 million. Last year, the threshold was $32.5 million. The highest-paid athlete in 2024 is tennis player Coco Gauff, with $30.4 million.

In total, the list of the 100 most commercially successful included athletes from eight sports and 27 countries. Their total income was 6.2 billion: salaries, bonuses and prize money amounted to 4.8 billion, sponsorship contracts and other sources of income – 1.4 billion.

Ten athletes earned more from sponsorships than from salaries or prize money, with the biggest gaps being Shohei Ohtani ($72.5 million) and Tiger Woods ($62.1 million).

TOP 10 Highest Paid Athletes in the World 2024