Canelo Alvarez came in as the second highest-paid athlete of 2025.

The boxing star did not have his best year inside the ring, but it was a lucrative one for his wallet.

He started things off in May by outpointing William Scull, though it was far from an entertaining defence of his undisputed super middleweight title.

Then, in September, Terence Crawford moved up two divisions and pulled off a stunning points victory over the Mexican legend.

Canelo Alvarez’s defeat still paved the way for huge paydays in 2025

Canelo’s year wrapped up with a surprise defeat to Crawford, one of the bigger shocks of the boxing calendar.

Even so, he might not be too bothered by how 2025 played out. He still managed to take home $137 million over those 12 months, according to Sportico.

Out of that total, $125 million came from his fight purses, while another $12 million was picked up through endorsement deals.

Claiming the second spot on the annual Highest-Paid Athletes in the World list, Canelo’s earnings surpassed both soccer star Lionel Messi and NBA icon LeBron James.

However, his salary remained significantly lower than the sole athlete who surpassed him in earnings last year.

The highest-paid athlete that year was once again Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward earned an estimated $260 million in total earnings for 2025 alone.

A staggering $200 million came from his Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, while a further $60m from endorsements.

When will Canelo Alvarez step back into the ring?

Canelo’s comeback was locked in last week.

He is set to top a special “Mexico against the World” card on September 12, once again in Riyadh.

Turki Alalshikh has revealed that Canelo will be involved in another blockbuster bout, though his next opponent remains uncertain.

“It will be named ‘Mexico against the World’”, Alalshikh stated.

“All the fighters from the team of Canelo against the world and the champion in the main event, in a world title [fight].

“It will be a surprise in Saudi Arabia. Inshallah.”