Pacman No. 6 among non-US bets in earnings

MANILA, Philippines - Losing twice in 2012 does not mean that Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao is off the coveted list of the highest-earning athletes in different sports.

According to a survey conducted by Sports Illustrated, the 34-year-old Pacquiao, who just won a second term as congressman in Sarangani in Mindanao, still keeps the cash register ringing.

Pacquiao ranked sixth among the “highest-earning non-American athletes,” according to Sports Illustrated.

SI placed Pacquiao high on the list with $35 million for 2012 when he lost a very controversial decision to undefeated American Tim Bradley in June and got knocked out by Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in December.

Pacquiao, who was also sixth in the 2011 list, stood in front of golf champion Rory McIlroy’s take of $33.3 million. In 2009, the Filipino boxer was third in SI’s coveted list, and dropped to fifth in 2010.

“Once again this year, Pacquiao falls short of the top 5 because he only fought once in the period we measure,” said SI’s Daniel Roberts wrote in an article. 

If Pacquiao fought earlier than December, his earnings in his mega-buck fight against Marquez would have made a lot of difference and would have pushed him higher in the standings.

Pacquiao was guaranteed $23 million for his fourth fight with Marquez, and earned a few millions more from the pay-per-view sales and other revenues like gate receipts, TV rights and merchandise. 

But he stood as the highest-ranked Asian. The only other Asian athlete in the latest Top 20 was tennis star Li Na of China with $17.3 million.

Football superstar and advertising magnet David Beckham of Great Britain topped the latest list with earnings of $48.3 million, topping tennis star Roger Federer from No. 1. Federer was second with $43.4 million. 

Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of Spain is in third with $42.8 million followed by football’s Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal with $35.3 million and Lionel Messi of Argentina with $35.1 million.

Next were Cameroon football player Samuel Eto’o with $30.2 million, Russian tennis beauty Maria Sharapova as the highest-ranked female athlete with $25.5 million, Spain’s Rafael Nadal with $24.9 million.

Occupying the next spots in the SI list were racer Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain, Argentina’s Sergio Aguero (football), Britain’s Wayne Rooney (football), Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (tennis), Germany’s Michael Schumacher (auto racing), the Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure (football), Li (tennis), Zlathan Ibrahomivic of Sweden (football), Kaka of Brazil (football), and Dieder Drogba of the Ivory Coast (football).

For American athletes, the undefeated Floyd “Money Man” Mayweather Jr. topped the list with $90 million followed by NBA great LeBron James with $56.5 million.