Pacquiao 5th in Sports Illustrated's top 20 highest-earning int'l athletes.

Pacquiao 5th in Sports Illustrated's top 20 highest-earning int'l athletes.

Seven-division world title holder Manny Pacquiao is the single boxer in the 2010 Sports Illustrated 20 highest-earning worldwide athletes list.

He is ranked No. 5 in the list ruled by earlier tennis World No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland.

The 2010 list featured Pacquiao alongside 7 football players, 5 motor sports racers, 3 tennis players, 2 baseball players and 2 NBA stars.

Pacquiao dropped from No. 3 in 2009 to No. 5 in 2010 with $38 million approaching from salaries, bonuses, endorsements and manifestation fees.

His boxing purse from July 2009 to June 2010 was taken into deliberation. In such time period, Pacquiao productively defeated Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto on November 14 and Ghanaian Joshua Clottey last March 13.

Federer, intervening time, zoomed to the top from No. 9 last year with $61,768,110. The 16-time grand condemn champion, formerly the world No. 3, replaced British football star David Beckham at the top spot.

Los Angeles Galaxy’s Beckham drooping to No. 3 with $40.5 million while Argentine Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona motivated up to No. 2 with $44 million.

Another football superstar, Portugese Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid came in at No. 4 with $40 million.

The list indicated that Pacquiao earned more than the following:

Baseball troupe Ichiro Suzuki of Japan and Miguel Cabrera of Venezuela;

Tennis luminaries Maria Sharapova of Russia and Rafael Nadal of Spain;

NBA cagers Yao Ming of China and Dirk Nowitzki of Germany; and,

footballers Kaka of Brazil, Thierry Henry of France, Ronaldinho of Brazil and Carlos Tevez of Argentina.

The Sarangani province congressman additionally gained more income than prescription One racers Valentino Rossi of Italy, Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain, Kimi Raikkonen of Finland, Jenson Button of Great Briatin and Fernando Alonso of Spain.

Seattle Mariners’ Suzuki ($37 million), Fiat Yamaha Team’s Rossi ($35 million), Houston Rockets’ Yao ($34,378,325), men’s tennis world No. 1 Nadal ($27,466,515) and McLaren-Mercedes’ Hamilton ($26.7 million) rounded up the Top 10 of the Sports Illustrated 20 highest-earning international athletes record.

Mayweather amid ‘fortunate’ US athletes

Sports Illustrated, meanwhile, also liberated its Fortunate 50 list of the top-earning American athletes with golfer Tiger Woods leading the pack with $90,508,163. (Read: Tiger's endorsements down $22 million - report)

His fellow golfer, Phil Mickelson, was at No. 2 with $61,660,757 while unbeatable boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. came in at No. 3 with $60,250,000.

Mayweather, who was theoretical to figure in a super face-off with Pacquiao, returned to the Top 5 with earnings from fights with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19 and compatriot Shane Mosley on May 1.

Just like Pacquiao in the worldwide athletes ranking, Mayweather was the only boxer in the 2010 Fortunate 50 list.

Other top-earning American athletes came from the National Football League (15), National Basketball Association (16), Major League Baseball (13) and NASCAR (3).

LeBron James, now of the Miami Heat, was at No. 4 ($45,779,912), Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees was at No. 5 ($37 million), and free agent Shaquille O’Neal was at No. 6 with ($36 million).

O’Neal even earned more than his former teammate, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who came in at No. 7 with ($33,034,375).

At No. 8 was Derek Jeter of the Yankees ($31 million), followed by No. 9 Peyton Manning of Indianapolis Colts ($30.8 million) and No. 10 Dwyane Wade of the Heat ($27,779,912).

The absolute list of the Fortunate 50 is available on the Sports Illustrated website. – With a report from Jonah Freedman, SportsIllustrated.com