Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., two of the most sought-after professional boxers in the world, topped Forbes Magazine’s 2012 list of the 100 best paid athletes in the world. Mayweather, who earned $85 million from his two fights last year, ranked first, while Pacquiao, who recently lost to undefeated American boxer Timothy Bradley, was in second place, having pulled $62 million from earnings and product endorsements.

Tiger Woods, who had topped the list since 2001, dropped to third place, having earned $59.4 million. His income had fallen due to the withdrawal of his sponsors after he was embroiled in a sex scandal in 2009.

NBA star LeBron James landed in fourth place with $53 million, while tennis player Roger Federer placed fifth with $52.7 million.

The other athletes in the top 10 include basketball player Kobe Bryant, golfer Phil Mickelson, football stars David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, and American football player Peyton Manning.

Out of the 100 athletes, only two women—tennis players Maria Sharapova of Russia and Li Na of China—made the list, placing 26^th and 81^st, respectively.


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