Mayweather sends message to fellow athletes after topping Forbes' rich list

Floyd Mayweather has topped the Forbes rich list of athletes [Courtesy]

Floyd Mayweather has topped the Forbes rich list of athletes for the last decade after netting a staggering £705 million ($915m).

The former five-weight world champion boxer - nicknamed 'Money' - only had 10 bouts in that period, but earned almost £90m more than runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo (£616m).

Perhaps more pleasing to Mayweather will have been to have raked in more than long-term rival Manny Pacquiao , who collected £335m.

One of Mayweather's biggest paydays came against UFC star Conor McGregor in their 2017 superfight - which saw him pick up over a third of his total figure for the decade.

By contrast McGregor did not even place among the top 10.

Lionel Messi (£578m), LeBron James (£524m) and Roger Federer (£493m) made up the top five.

Mayweather responded to the news by sending a message to his fellow athletes.

"Congratulations to every athlete on this list!" he wrote on Twitter .

And he could start the new decade in similarly prosperous fashion, after confirming he will be making a comeback.

Mayweather has teased an appearance in UFC after the success of McGregor's crossover to boxing, but his recent comments suggest he will not step into competitive action.

His most recent bout at the end of last year was a boxing exhibition with Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, which saw him win comfortably inside the first round and pocket £7m.

"I’ve got calls to get back into the ring, but my health is my wealth,’ Mayweather told Reuters. "Boxing is a very, very brutal sport. In the last few years a lot of fighters have died inside that squared circle.

"You have got to know when to hang it up. I had a great career. ‘I’ll still travel and do exhibitions. I make great money doing exhibitions; between $10 and $30 million. I think I make more doing that than most fighters make fighting."

Forbes' list of highest-earning athletes of the last decade

1. Floyd Mayweather — £705m ($915m)

2. Cristiano Ronaldo — £616m ($800m)

3. Lionel Messi — £578m ($750m)

4. LeBron James — £524m ($680m)

5. Roger Federer — £493m ($640m)

6. Tiger Woods — £474m ($615m)

7. Phil Mickelson — £370 ($480m)

8. Manny Pacquiao — £335 ($435m)

9. Kevin Durant — £328 ($425m)

10. Lewis Hamilton — £308 ($400m)