The 5 highest-grossing boxing fights of all time ahead of Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather fight

There are questions about the merit, sporting integrity and point of Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor. But one thing is not up for debate: this fight is going to make everyone involved an enormous amount of money.

Floyd Mayweather has been so happy to flash and splash the cash down the years that 'Money' is his non-literal middle name. His habit of posting pictures of himself on Instagram surrounded by wads of cash will likely continue after this fight, perhaps with even large piles of notes.

The fight could eclipse some of the biggest contests in history in terms of profit.

Here are the five highest-earning fights to date...

5. Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield II (June 1997) - $100m

Tyson controversially took a bite out of Holyfield's ear(Image: PA)

If people had known that Mike Tyson would be taking a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear home before the fight figures would be twice as high.

Mayweather, meanwhile, hasn't stepped in the ring since retiring following his Andre Bert fight in 2015.

The rematch brought in $100m dollars in revenue and was stopped in the third round after referee Mills Lane disqualified 'The Baddest Man on the Planet' for the bite.

Holyfield left with less of his ear than he came with but took home a hefty $35m while Tyson received $30m – the highest amount any boxer was paid until 2007.

4. Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis (June 2002) - $112m

Tyson and Lewis faced off in 2002

In 2002, Tyson challenged Lennox Lewis in a heavyweight clash at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee which is now the fourth highest grossing fight ever.

Tyson wanted to fight Lewis in Nevada but was refused a license by the Nevada Boxing Commission as he faced possible sexual assault charges.

Tensions were running high and emotions erupted prior to the fight at a New York press conference where both boxers and their teams were involved in a brawl.

The bad blood between the fighters began after Tyson's comments following Lewis' fight with Savarese. Tyson said: “I want your heart. I want to eat your children.”

Lennox dominated the fight and KO'd Tyson in the eighth round – both boxers took home $17.5m.

3. Floyd Mayweather vs Oscar De La Hoya (May 2007) - $136m

De La Hoya throws a punch at Mayweather in 2007(Image: Getty)

Mayweather and De La Hoya battled it out at MGM Grand in 2007 with De La Hoya defending his WBC light middleweight championship.

Floyd 'Money' Mayweather was 37-0 before the fight while De La Hoya held a 38-4 record with 30 knockouts.

The third highest ever grossing fight took just three hours to sell out after tickets went on sale.

Mayweather won by split decision, two judges scoring the fight in Mayweather's favour 115-113, 116-112 and the remaining judge had De La Hoya winning, 115-113.

De La Hoya took home twice as much as Mayweather for the fight, bagging a purse of $52m compared to Mayweather's $25m.

2. Floyd Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez (Sep 2013) - $150m

Mayweather lands a big shot on Alvarez during their showdown(Image: Getty)

This superfight at the MGM Grand saw Mayweather beat 23-year-old the Mexican and take his incredible unbeaten record to 45-0

Saul Alvarez, more commonly known as Canelo Alvarez was unbeaten in 44 fights before his majority decision loss to Mayweather.

The impressive Mexican was tipped by many to be the first boxer to beat 36-year-old Mayweather in a professional match.

Two judges scored the fight in favour of Floyd 116-112, 117-111 while the last judged scored the fight as a 114-114 draw.

Mayweather was guaranteed a purse of $41.5m before the fight compared to Alvarez's $5m but reportedly pocketed over $100m for the fight.

1. Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao (May 2015) - $410m

Mayweather and Pacquiao earned serious money from their fight(Image: Getty)

The highest ever grossing fight... yet.

Mayweather vs Pacquiao was billed the 'Fight of the Century' and the revenue figures reflected that.

The two boxing veterans had been flirting with the idea of a mega fight at the MGM grand for years and it was made a reality after details were agreed in 2015.

The fight however was a massive let down for boxing fans who expected a clash of the titans event.

Instead they got a defensive display from Mayweather that earned him a unanimous decision win – two judges scoring the fight 116-112 to Mayweather and the other 118-110.

Mayweather took home $180m dollars while Pacquiao bagged $120m after the pair agreed a 60/40 split for the $300m dollar purse.