A fascinating graphic shows the evolution of the world’s best-paid athletes over a 30-year period.
Forbes shared a captivating graphic revealing the world’s best-paid athlete from 1990 to 2022.
Boxers dominated the highest-paid athletes in the 90s as Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox Lewis, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe and Buster Douglas all featured, with Mike Tyson topping the list.
Evander Holyfield surpassed ‘Iron’ Mike before Michael Jordan began to dominate in the NBA with Chicago Bulls, where he won back-to-back-to-back championships.
In 1994, however, Tyson overtook Jordan, who returned to top spot after winning another set of three consecutive NBA championships.
But Tyson soared back to the top following his lucrative two-fight series with Holyfield, with the rematch ending in a disqualification.
Jordan, though, climbed above Tyson in the same year he won his sixth NBA championship with the Bulls.
Tyson plummeted as his career took a hit as the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Michael Schumacher, Phil Mickelson and Sergei Fedorov entered the conversation.
Jordan remained the world’s best-paid athlete until 1999, with Schumacher replacing him at the summit while Tiger Woods started his reign as the GOAT of golf.
In 2003, Woods replaced Schumacher as they went head-to-head for a few years until the F1 legend left the graphic.
David Beckham, Kimi Raikkonen, Peyton Manning, Ronaldinho, Roger Federer and Kobe Bryant made an appearance in the graphic in 2007.
Woods was the world’s best-paid athlete until 2012 when Floyd Mayweather became the pound-for-pound boxing king.
He was joined by Manny Pacquiao, who enjoyed a similar meteoric rise in the ring.
Woods replaced Mayweather as the world’s best-paid athlete in 2013, with Federer, Bryant, LeBron James and Drew Brees making a splash.
Mayweather rocketed to the top after fighting Pacquiao in a money-spinning Las Vegas showdown while Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi entered the mix.
Ronaldo and Messi then went head-to-head as the world’s best-paid athlete until Mayweather fought UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a lucrative bout.
Messi took his spot before McGregor skyrocketed to No.1
The graphic ended in 2022, with Messi ahead of the likes of James and Ronaldo.