LAS VEGAS (TheBlaze/AP) — If there's a secret to earning the most money when punching the clock the fewest times (figuratively speaking, of course), boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has uncovered it in a big, big way.
World Boxing Council champion Floyd Mayweather (R) and Robert Guerrero exchange punches during their fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 4, 2013. Mayweather extended his perfect record to 44 victories, beating Robert Guerrero by unanimous decision in their welterweight title fight. (Getty Images)
On Saturday night he'll make at least $41 million to fight undefeated Mexican star Canelo Alvarez, bringing Mayweather's take for the year in two fights to a whopping $73 million.
Floyd Mayweather poses in a face-off with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez during a boxing news conference on Monday, June 24, 2013, at New York's Times Square. (AP)
Those two days at the office make Mayweather the highest-paid athlete in the country, far outshining Miami Heat star LeBron James, who made $56.5 million this year in salary and endorsements.
Of course the undefeated 36-year-old welterweight does a bit more than simply step into a ring two times a year to garner his success, but you can't help but notice all that he's tangibly reaped as a result.
There's the mansion where Mayweather and his entourage hang out. Rappers and other boxers drop in occasionally, and on payday, Mayweather hands out stacks of $100 bills to the considerable number of people in his employ.
(Image source: Floyd Mayweather via YouTube)
He spends big money, sometimes as much as $200,000, for handbags for his female friends. Then he buys them something called a "Baginizer" to make sure everything inside is organized.
He's not invincible financially...he does lose at the sports book. Mayweather loves to post pictures on Twitter with six-figure wins on his bets, but acknowledged this week he lost a big bet Monday night on the Houston Texans.
He's in business with a Chinese company that manufactures his The Money Team apparel. His business partner is named China Mike "because everybody's got to have a nickname."
He can name every car on duPont Registry, his favorite online shopping site. He owns many of them, almost all in white and in fleets at homes in Las Vegas, Miami and Los Angeles.
(Image source: YouTube)
Mayweather has a nickname, too, though it's different than the one he had when he first started boxing professionally 17 years ago. He was Pretty Boy Floyd then, before America discovered him as the villain they would pay to watch and before he had the cars and the mansion on a golf course.
Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. looks at his phone during the final news conference for his fight with Canelo Alvarez at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on Sept. 11, 2013 in Las Vegas. (Getty Images)
What's his nickname these days?
Money May, of course.
But his bling-infused moniker seems well deserved, as Mayweather has delivered wins in all 44 of his fights. People who don't like him will pay to see if he'll lose, and his fans will reach into their pockets to cheer him on for another win.
This Saturday's pay-per-view will cost a record $75, leading promoters to boast that this could be the richest fight ever, surpassing the 2007 bout between Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya.
That may or may not happen, but the idea that Alvarez might be the one fighter with the stuff to finally beat Mayweather has made this one of the most anticipated fights in years.
Mayweather's whopping $41 million guarantee is made possible by pay-per-view sales, and ringside seats that sell for $2,000. Still, promoters say they hope to get near the 2 million mark from pay TV,, helped largely by the Hispanic market backing Alvarez.
Oddsmakers make Mayweather a 2½-1 favorite against Alvarez, the 23-year-old redhead who is Mexico's biggest sporting hero and undefeated in 42 fights. But the level of his competition is nowhere near that of Mayweather, and he will be fighting at a catch weight of 152 pounds, 2 pounds below the 154-pound mark where he holds his title belts.
"I've studied a lot of his fights," Alvarez said. "I'm not just ready, I'm ready to win."
Mayweather was a less-than-fashionable 37 minutes late to the final prefight press conference Wednesday at the MGM Grand hotel casino, not that it mattered. It was such a low-key affair that even those on the dais seemed to want to be somewhere else.
"I've been here before. I know what it takes," Mayweather said. "I was born to be here, born to be at this level."
Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. does sit-ups as he works out at the Mayweather Boxing Club on August 28, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather will face Canelo Alvarez in a WBC/WBA 154-pound title fight on September 14 in Las Vegas. (Getty Images)
"I feel like I'm the last of my breed," Mayweather said. "I earned it the hard way."
Here's a look at the champion's considerable cash reserves at work (content warning -- some strong language):
--
[related]
