Floyd Mayweather Jr Once Surpassed Lebron James’ Seasonal Earnings in a Single Night

Floyd Mayweather Jr (50-0, 27 KOs) is undoubtedly one of the most skilled pugilistic superstars in boxing. While this skillset has given him a formidable boxing record, it also made him the highest-paid boxer of all time. The rightfully named ‘Money’ Mayweather once made more money in a single night than NBA legend Lebron James made in an entire season.

Mayweather faced former UFC champ Conor McGregor (22-6, 19 KOs) in a sensational showdown at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, on August 26, 2017. The fight billed as ‘The Money Fight’ and ‘The Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History’ saw Mayweather come out of retirement for what has been his last professional fight since. With fans going into a frenzy from the get-go, the fight recorded the second-highest pay-per-view buy rate in history.

Fight night saw Mayweather stay true to his repute. McGregor started strong and scored higher in the judge’s cards in the first three rounds. The following rounds saw Mayweather drop his usual defensive style and start an offensive. McGregor began to fatigue from the onslaught in the later rounds.

As the brutal punishment continued into the tenth round, referee Robert Byrd stopped the fight, in turn making Mayweather the victor by TKO.

Mayweather was guaranteed $100 million and McGregor $30 million ahead of the bout. According to Forbes, Mayweather earned a whopping $275 million after fight night. Meanwhile, McGregor earned an impressive $85 million. James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2017/18 season and earned $33,285,709. To put things into perspective, Mayweather made over eight times more in a single night.

“I’d love another go”

With the fight earning both fighters handsome purses, they were expected to try for a rematch. Mayweather had expressed interest in pursuing a McGregor rematch in 2023, ahead of the Mikuru Asakura (17-4, 1 KOs) fight in 2022. However, talks about the matchup failed to materialize.

In a tweet, McGregor mentioned that he is still interested in a rematch. “One of the greatest performances in Professional Boxing this was. I landed more shots on Floyd than Canelo,” he said. “I’d love another go.”

Joshua Ben Joseph

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer renowned for his unparalleled coverage of live events and insightful interviews with prominent athletes in the world of combat sports. With a career spanning over several years, he has authored more than 800 articles. As an experienced editorial cartoonist and investigative journalist, Joshua has a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering quality content. Aside from his writing, Joshua is an avid powerlifter and solo traveler, embodying the same spirit of determination and exploration that he brings to his work. With a deep love for the sport of boxing that dates back to childhood, he is committed to delivering the highest quality content and helping to build a more transparent and credible industry.

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