The best-paid sports stars of 2015

1: "I had a rough upbringing, but when you work hard and you make sacrifices, you can succeed." Floyd Mayweather Jr. brought himself from the bottom to the top in the boxing world. 49 fights, 49 wins - an ace in the ring, and outside, a marketing genius. At 38, the world champion from the US collected 276 million euros ($302 million) to lead the sporting world in earnings.

2: Mayweather would not have had such a good year without this man. Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines challenged the unbeaten champion in the "fight of the year." After battling valiantly, the controversial loss on points did not upset Pacquiao as much as you may have thought. He earned 147 million euros according to Forbes Magazine.

3: Cristiano Ronaldo is a household name in the sporting world. So it is no surprise that he's also one of the world's best-paid sportsmen. The Portuguese now even has a modeling label. His earnings this year rose from 62.9 million euros to 73.4 million euros. Nonetheless, he dropped a place in the highest-earner rankings, compared to 2014.

4: Lionel Messi seemed to be too small to be a professional athlete. However, thanks to the right training and hormone-therapy, Messi has become one of the world's most technically gifted players. Today he is a global star who earned 63 million euros in 2015 - 12 million more than in 2014.

5: Indeed Roger Federer may not have won a Grand Slam title in 2015, but in another respect, he's still top dog ahead of Novak Djokovic and the rest. Financially, Roger Federer is No. 1 among tennis players. His income grew from 44.1 million euros in 2014 to 61.8 million euros in 2015.

6: His uniqueness says everything about his nickname. Dubbed "The chosen one" by his fans, 2.03-meter (6-foot-8-inch) basketball star LeBron James is a pretty imposing figure. Already a four-time NBA MVP, he enjoyed a three-million-euro rise in rise income, up to 59.8 million in 2015.

7: As far back as his college days Kevin Durant was known not only for his 2.08-meter frame but also for being a prolific scorer. He also made the jump into a new league earnings-wise. Thanks in part to being named the NBA's MVP in the 2013-14 season, he now collects nearly 50 million euros per year, mainly through his Nike endorsement.

8: Phil Mickleson, known to his fans as "Lefty," has earned more than 50 tournament victories and in doing so, has collected a small fortune. The 44-year-old American's annual salary increased from 41.7 million euros, to 46.8 million euros in 2015. Fun fact: Although he swings the clubs left-handed, in everthing else, Mickelson is actually right-handed.

9: For golf superstar Tiger Woods life in sport isn't quite what it used to be. Nevertheless, the 39-year old American remains one of the top earners in the sport. Long ranked No. 1 on the money list, his salary decreased from 48.1 million to 46.7 million euros in 2015. However, he will forever be the first athlete to have earned over one billion dollars.

10: Kobe Bryant continues to impress - if only in financial terms. The 17-time NBA All-Star, five-time NBA champion, three-time best shooter and one-time MVP won't have to worry about his bank account when he retires next summer. According to Forbes, Bryant earned 45.7 million euros in 2015, which just squeezes him into the top 10.

21: For almost the entire Formula One season, Sebastian Vettel was in pursuit - his Ferrari was just too slow to keep pace with the Mercedes. But the former drivers' champion's income didn't suffer for it. Vettel earned 30.5 million euros in 2015 - making him the best-paid German athlete of the year - and putting him in 21st place on the global list of top earners.

26: Did you notice something? The top of the list of the world's best paid athletes remains an all-men's club. You have to scroll way down the Forbes list - to No. 26, to find the first woman. Tennis star Maria Sharapova took in 27.4 million euros - eight million more than last year.