Canelo Alvarez is second on Forbes' 2026 list of highest-paid athletes with $170 million, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, and fights Christian Mbilli on October 31 in Riyadh.
What we know
- Canelo faces Christian Mbilli on Oct. 31 in Riyadh for the vacant WBC super middleweight title.
Reported, not confirmed
- Forbes ranks Canelo Alvarez second among the highest-paid athletes of 2026, with $170 million. CroRing, citing Forbes
- Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list with $300 million; Lionel Messi is third with $140 million. CroRing, citing Forbes
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Canelo's deal with Turki Alalshikh is reportedly worth about $400 million over four fights.
CroRing
Canelo Alvarez has moved past Lionel Messi into second place on Forbes' 2026 list of the world's highest-paid athletes. CroRing reports his earnings at $170 million, a figure that places a boxer between two of football's biggest names.
The gap at the top is large. Cristiano Ronaldo leads at $300 million, of which $235 million is his salary at Al-Nassr and $65 million comes from endorsements, according to CroRing. Messi falls to third at $140 million, split evenly between his US salary and sponsorships, and recently extended his Inter Miami contract through 2028.
Much of Canelo's income traces to Riyadh Season chief Turki Alalshikh. His deal with Alalshikh is reportedly worth about $400 million over four fights. Even a defeat pays: his loss to Terence Crawford last year drew more than 70,000 fans in Nevada and millions of viewers on Netflix. The Mexican is 36 and fights at super middleweight.
His next payday is close. Canelo faces unbeaten Christian Mbilli on October 31 in Riyadh for the WBC super middleweight title, which Crawford vacated when he retired. Our earlier reporting says the fight remains on despite Houthi attacks in the region, though the IBF title fight of Delgado against Biyarslanov will 'probably not' happen, per Dan Rafael's source.
Watch for whether the Riyadh card goes ahead as planned and how Canelo looks in his first fight since the Crawford loss.
The gap at the top is large. Cristiano Ronaldo leads at $300 million, of which $235 million is his salary at Al-Nassr and $65 million comes from endorsements, according to CroRing. Messi falls to third at $140 million, split evenly between his US salary and sponsorships, and recently extended his Inter Miami contract through 2028.
Much of Canelo's income traces to Riyadh Season chief Turki Alalshikh. His deal with Alalshikh is reportedly worth about $400 million over four fights. Even a defeat pays: his loss to Terence Crawford last year drew more than 70,000 fans in Nevada and millions of viewers on Netflix. The Mexican is 36 and fights at super middleweight.
His next payday is close. Canelo faces unbeaten Christian Mbilli on October 31 in Riyadh for the WBC super middleweight title, which Crawford vacated when he retired. Our earlier reporting says the fight remains on despite Houthi attacks in the region, though the IBF title fight of Delgado against Biyarslanov will 'probably not' happen, per Dan Rafael's source.
Watch for whether the Riyadh card goes ahead as planned and how Canelo looks in his first fight since the Crawford loss.
- Summary
- Canelo Alvarez is second on Forbes' 2026 list of highest-paid athletes with $170 million, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, and fights Christian Mbilli on October 31 in Riyadh.
- Key points (one per line)
- Canelo Alvarez earned $170 million, second on Forbes' 2026 list of highest-paid athletes, per CroRing
Cristiano Ronaldo leads with $300 million; Lionel Messi is third with $140 million
Canelo fights unbeaten Christian Mbilli on October 31 in Riyadh for the vacant WBC super middleweight title
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- CroRing | https://croring.com/boks/canelo-alvarez-je-drugi-najplaceniji-sportas-svijeta/
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Fighters in this story
Canelo Alvarez
Christian MbilliSources
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