Boxing purses in 2016
21 boxers were paid $125,502,174 across 43 bouts in 2016. The biggest single purse was $27,000,000, to Manny Pacquiao against Timothy Bradley.
Who was paid most in 2016
Every purse we hold from the year, folded into the boxer who took it.
Every purse we hold from 2016
Tap a column heading to re-rank| # | BOXER | PURSE | OPPONENT | RESULT | DATE | DIVISION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Manny Pacquiao | $27,000,000$27.0m | Timothy Bradley | WinUD | 9 April 2016 | Welterweight |
| 02 | Manny Pacquiao | $14,000,000$14.0m | Jessie Vargas | WinUD | 5 November 2016 | Welterweight |
| 03 | Canelo Alvarez | $13,500,000$13.5m | Amir Khan | WinKO 6 | 7 May 2016 | Middleweight |
| 04 | Amir Khan | $11,000,000$11.0m | Canelo Alvarez | LossKO 6 | 7 May 2016 | Welterweight |
| 05 | Anthony Joshua | $10,000,000$10.0m | Dominic Breazeale | WinTKO 7 | 25 June 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 06 | Canelo Alvarez | $8,000,000$8.0m | Liam Smith | - | 17 December 2016 | Middleweight |
| 07 | Keith Thurman | $4,400,000$4.4m | Shawn Porter | WinUD | 25 June 2016 | Light Middleweight |
| 08 | Danny Garcia | $3,500,000$3.5m | Robert Guerrero | WinUD | 23 January 2016 | Light Middleweight |
| 09 | Leo Santa Cruz | $3,500,000$3.5m | Carl Frampton | LossMD | 30 July 2016 | Super Featherweight |
| 10 | Anthony Joshua | $3,000,000$3.0m | Éric Molina | WinTKO 3 | 10 December 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 11 | Deontay Wilder | $3,000,000$3.0m | Artur Szpilka | WinKO 9 | 16 January 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 12 | Deontay Wilder | $2,900,000$2.9m | Chris Arreola | WinRTD 8 | 16 July 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 13 | Leo Santa Cruz | $2,800,000$2.8m | Kiko Martinez | WinTKO 5 | 27 February 2016 | Super Featherweight |
| 14 | Andy Ruiz Jr | $2,000,000$2.0m | Joseph Parker | LossMD | 10 December 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 15 | Tony Bellew | $2,000,000$2.0m | BJ Flores | WinKO 3 | 15 October 2016 | Cruiserweight |
| 16 | Derek Chisora | $1,500,000$1.5m | Dillian Whyte | LossSD | 10 December 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 17 | Derek Chisora | $1,500,000$1.5m | Kubrat Pulev | LossSD | 7 May 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 18 | Tony Bellew | $1,450,000$1.4m | Ilunga Makabu | WinKO 3 | 29 May 2016 | Cruiserweight |
| 19 | Dillian Whyte | $1,300,000$1.3m | Derek Chisora | WinSD | 10 December 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 20 | Kubrat Pulev | $1,250,000$1.3m | Derek Chisora | WinSD | 7 May 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 21 | Anthony Joshua | $1,000,000$1.0m | Charles Martin | WinKO 2 | 9 April 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 22 | Danny Garcia | $1,000,000$1.0m | Samuel Vargas | WinTKO 7 | 12 November 2016 | Light Middleweight |
| 23 | Joseph Parker | $1,000,000$1.0m | Andy Ruiz Jr | WinMD | 10 December 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 24 | Badou Jack | $500,000$500k | Lucian Bute | WinDQ | 30 April 2016 | Cruiserweight |
| 25 | Joseph Parker | $500,000$500k | Carlos Takam | WinUD | 21 May 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 26 | Dillian Whyte | $400,000$400k | David Allen | WinUD | 30 July 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 27 | Kubrat Pulev | $400,000$400k | Samuel Peter | WinRTD 3 | 3 December 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 28 | Luis Ortiz | $400,000$400k | David Allen | WinTKO 7 | 10 December 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 29 | Gilberto Ramírez | $390,674$391k | Arthur Abraham | WinUD | 9 April 2016 | Cruiserweight |
| 30 | Luis Ortiz | $350,000$350k | Malik Scott | WinUD | 12 November 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 31 | Luis Ortiz | $300,000$300k | Tony Thompson | WinKO 6 | 5 March 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 32 | Chris Eubank Jr | $250,000$250k | Tom Doran | WinTKO 4 | 25 June 2016 | Middleweight |
| 33 | Joseph Parker | $250,000$250k | Alexander Dimitrenko | WinKO 3 | 1 October 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 34 | Joseph Parker | $250,000$250k | Solomon Haumono | WinTKO 4 | 21 July 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 35 | Oleksandr Usyk | $250,000$250k | Thabiso Mchunu | WinTKO 9 | 17 December 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 36 | Chris Eubank Jr | $200,000$200k | Nick Blackwell | WinTKO 10 | 26 March 2016 | Middleweight |
| 37 | Joseph Parker | $200,000$200k | Jason Bergman | WinTKO 8 | 23 January 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 38 | Andy Ruiz Jr | $75,000$75k | Franklin Lawrence | WinUD | 10 September 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 39 | Andy Ruiz Jr | $75,000$75k | Ray Austin | WinRTD 4 | 14 May 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 40 | Oleksandr Usyk | $50,000$50k | Krzysztof Głowacki | WinUD | 17 September 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 41 | David Allen | $25,000$25k | Dillian Whyte | LossUD | 30 July 2016 | Heavyweight |
| 42 | Dmitry Bivol | $25,000$25k | Felix Valera | WinUD | 21 May 2016 | Light Heavyweight |
| 43 | David Allen | $11,500$12k | Luis Ortiz | LossTKO 7 | 10 December 2016 | Heavyweight |
The belts on the line in 2016
32 of the 43 purses we hold from 2016 were paid for a night with a world title on it. The rows overlap: a unification puts more than one belt on the same fight.
| BELT | BOUTS | TOTAL PURSES | BIGGEST PURSE |
|---|---|---|---|
| WBO | 10 | $45,390,674$45.4m | Manny Pacquiao |
| WBC | 14 | $41,450,000$41.5m | Canelo Alvarez |
| The Ring | 2 | $24,500,000$24.5m | Canelo Alvarez |
| IBF | 3 | $14,000,000$14.0m | Anthony Joshua |
| WBA | 6 | $11,475,000$11.5m | Keith Thurman |
22 of the 42 bouts we hold a result for ended before the last scheduled round.
How 2016 compares
Purses paid in each year we hold, in time order.
2016 ranks 15 of the 18 years on record, worth 2.3% of the $5,470,613,459 paid across them. That is 75.1% less than 2015, which paid $503,449,000.
What a purse is, and what it is not
Every figure on these pages is what a boxer was paid to fight: the contracted purse for one night. It is not what he earned that year and it is not his income. Pay-per-view points, sponsorship, ticket money and whatever a promoter settles afterwards sit outside it. A bonus written into the fight contract is inside it.
Frequently asked questions
How much were boxers paid in 2016?
$125,502,174, across 43 bouts and 21 boxers. That is a mean of $2,918,655 a bout.
Who was the highest paid boxer of 2016?
Manny Pacquiao, on $41,000,000 from 2 bouts in 2016, ahead of Canelo Alvarez on $21,500,000.
What was the biggest purse of 2016?
$27,000,000, to Manny Pacquiao against Timothy Bradley on 9 April 2016.
Boxing purses year by year
The 18 years we hold enough purses to rank, newest first.