The huge purses from this weekend’s Riyadh Season boxing events have highlighted a staggering financial gulf in the sport. Canelo Álvarez walked away from Saudi Arabia with a massive payday reportedly around $80 million, according to GiveMeSport – an eye-watering sum that outstrips the combined recent fight earnings of fellow stars Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Naoya Inoue. In other words, Canelo’s one-night paycheck was more than double what Garcia, Haney, and Inoue earned together in their most recent bouts. It’s a reminder that in boxing’s new big money era, one man stands as the sport’s undisputed cash king.
Riyadh Season Pays Canelo Alvarez Huge Purse
Canelo’s lucrative evening came as the headliner of a Riyadh Season boxing showcase in Saudi Arabia. The 34-year-old Mexican superstar put his titles on the line against Cuba’s William Scull on Saturday, and the financial reward was nothing short of spectacular. Sources indicate Álvarez earned roughly $80 million for the fight – a figure almost unheard of outside of heavyweight megafights.
This gargantuan purse underscores why Álvarez remains boxing’s biggest draw; not only did he retain his super middleweight crown, he also secured one of the richest single paydays in boxing history. (For context, that’s about $17–$18 million per round if the bout went the distance – not bad for a night’s work.)
Promoter Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season project has clearly spared no expense to bring marquee boxing matches to Saudi Arabia, and Canelo’s paycheck is proof. The Mexican champion reportedly gave up a potential crossover bout with Jake Paul to ink this Riyadh Season deal – and with the kind of money on offer, it’s easy to see why. His $80 million haul in Riyadh dwarfs even the hefty purses Álvarez has earned in Las Vegas over the years. It’s the latest record-setting payout for a fighter who’s made a career of smashing financial benchmarks in boxing.
Canelo’s Payday > Garcia, Haney & Inoue Combined
To put Canelo’s extraordinary earnings into perspective, consider what other top tier fighters made in their recent outings. Álvarez’s single purse was over twice the combined take-home of three of boxing’s most celebrated young stars – Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Naoya Inoue – from this very same fight weekend.
All three are champions or pound-for-pound elites in their own right, yet even together they couldn’t match Canelo’s one-night pay. This disparity underscores just how far ahead Álvarez is when it comes to prizefighting’s financial league tables.
Garcia, Haney, and Inoue each enjoyed significant paydays recently, but none came remotely close to Álvarez’s Riyadh windfall. Garcia headlined a high profile card in New York City’s Times Square on Friday, Haney fought as co-main event, and Inoue defended his undisputed title in Japan – all for sums that look modest next to Canelo’s haul.
Here’s a breakdown of those fighter earnings (as reported):
Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez – $80 million
Ryan “King Ry” Garcia – $20 million
Devin Haney – $10 million
Naoya “Monster” Inoue – $2 million
Add up those three purses for Garcia, Haney, and Inoue and you get $32 million – still not even half of Canelo’s $80M payday. In fact, Álvarez’s Riyadh paycheck alone was greater than 2× the sum of all three of those fighters’ earnings put together.
It’s a financial gulf rarely seen among top fighters active at the same time. While Garcia and Haney are both major attractions (and Inoue is widely regarded as a top pound-for-pound talent), Canelo’s drawing power and global appeal put him in a class of his own when it comes to pay.
A League of His Own in the Pay Department
The wild difference in earnings was not only evident when comparing Canelo to other stars – it was apparent across the entire boxing landscape this weekend. Remarkably, Álvarez’s payout was about 320 times larger than that of the lowest paid main event fighter over the weekend which was Roman Cardenas who was paid a reported $250,000 for his fight against Naoya Inoue. (Yes, you read that right: 320 times more.)
Such numbers drive home just how uniquely lucrative Canelo’s Saudi-backed deal is. Even in an era where boxing purses are swelling thanks to new investors and media rights, no one is cashing checks quite like Canelo Álvarez.
The Riyadh Season bankroll has attracted the likes of Garcia and Haney to take their talents (and title fights) to new venues, but Canelo remains the flagship star of the venture. His willingness to face a perhaps lesser known challenger in Scull was richly rewarded – literally.
For Álvarez, who has already achieved undisputed champion status and conquered multiple weight classes, this colossal payday reaffirms his status as the sport’s top earner and a transcendent attraction.
