With wins over out-weighed Brits in Amir Khan and Liam Smith, Canelo drifted through 2016 as the whole of the sport cried out for a clash against Gennady Golovkin.
Despite the Golovkin bout being put to one side, Canelo still managed to pocket enough cash to remain on top of the pile for the second year running since ex-foe Floyd Mayweather’s retirement.
Here is the current rankings by Forbes (Jan 2016 rating):
1. Canelo Alvarez (#1): Still has by far the biggest pay-per-view reach despite the return of Manny Pacquiao.
2. Andre Ward (#3): Unifying at light-heavyweight and becoming the number one pound for pound fighter on the planet helped Ward overhaul Golovkin as the number two draw.
3. Gennady Golovkin (#2): Missing out on Canelo cost ‘GGG’ dear, although the middleweight king will move up again should he be able to snag the Mexican this year.
4. Sergey Kovalev (#4): No movement for Kovalev, who will remain high on the list once the second Ward fight is confirmed.
5. Manny Pacquiao (NE): A year out of boxing is a long time, but securing wins over Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas saw the ‘Pacman’ prove he still have much to offer.
6. Wladimir Klitschko-Anthony Joshua (#5 and NE): Forbes tied both together due to their upcoming April unification which is set to earn both a tidy seven-figure sum.
7. Keith Thurman (#6): Another solid year for Thurman and a massive welterweight clash with Danny Garcia to come.
8. Deontay Wilder (#7): Dropping a multi-million dollar payday due to Alexander Povetkin failing a drug test meant a drop down the ladder for Wilder.
9. Terrence Crawford (#9): No move for Crawford who remains in the frame for a huge paycheck against Manny Pacquiao in November 2017.
10. Vasyl Lomachenko (NE): WBN’s new Fighter of the Year is gathering more and more attention and the sky is firmly the limit for the Ukrainian master.
Last year’s Top 10:
1.Canelo (#1)
2. Gennady Golovkin (#2)
3. Andre Ward #4):
4. Sergey Kovalev (#5):
5. Wladimir Klitschko (#3)
6. Keith Thurman (#7)
7. Deontay Wilder (#6)
8. Terence Crawford (#8)
9. Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez (NE)
10. Errol Spence (#9)
