Boxer Mayweather tops Forbes' best-paid athletes list

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For the fourth time in seven years, boxer Floyd Mayweather tops this year's Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes, raking in 285 million US dollars.

Mayweather's blockbuster match against Conor McGregor in August 2017 earned him more than 275 million US dollars.

August 26, 2017: A game between Floyd Mayweather (L) and Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, US. /VCG Photo

Known as the "money fight" and "the biggest fight in combat sports history," Mayweather used only 36 minutes in the ring to earn 275 million US dollars, and he added 10 million US dollars more from endorsements, appearances and memorabilia.

In particular, his cut of the fight generated 4.3 million pay-per-view buys via social media and more than 550 million US dollars in total revenue from all sources.

The fight also pushed Mayweather's career earnings to one billion US dollars, joining Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods as the only athletes to reach 10-figures in earnings.

The Forbes list featured athletes hailing from 23 countries and calculated their overall prize money, salaries and bonuses earned between June 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018.

In comparison, the top three earners in 2017 were Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Lionel Messi. Mayweather, Ronaldo and Tiger Woods are the only three athletes to top the best-paid list over the past 18 years.

Footballer superstar Ronaldo (108 million US dollars), who held the crown the previous two years, drops to third this year, with longtime rival Lionel Messi (111 million US dollars) edging him out due to a new contract signed with Barcelona. And golfer Woods (43.3 million US dollars) ranks 16th this year.

December 31, 2017: Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders directs his team before throwing the ball during a game in California, US. /VCG Photo

The top-ranked, first-timer athlete this year is American football quarterback Derek Carr, who ranks 19th after signing a contract extension with the Oakland Raiders worth 125 million US dollars.

Tennis ace Serena Williams was the only female athlete in 2017, but she falls short this year after being sidelined almost the entire 12 months due to pregnancy and giving birth to her daughter in September.

By countries, American athletes dominate the rankings with 65 players thanks to their super high salaries in the major US sports leagues. The UK has five athletes, led by F1's Lewis Hamilton (51 million US dollars) in 12th. The Dominican Republic and Spain have three athletes each, while Argentina, Brazil, France, Japan and Venezuela all have two.