'Money' back on top of rich list

American boxer Floyd Mayweather's blockbuster fight against Conor McGregor has pushed him back to the top of the Forbes list of best paid athletes for the fourth time in seven years.

Mayweather, who goes by the nickname 'Money', earned $275 million from last year's fight against Irish MMA champion McGregor, whose cut of the purse elevated him to fourth spot on the US business magazine's list.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who topped the rankings for the last two years, slipped to third in the standings behind his Argentine rival Lionel Messi. The Portuguese earned 108 million dollars compared to Messi's 111.

Brazil's Neymar was listed fifth with 90 million dollars.

Swiss tennis great Roger Federer ($77.2 million) was sixth, while his great rival Rafael Nadal found himself in 20th place with $41.4 million.

There were no women in the list, with tennis icon Serena Williams, the sole female representative last year, having dropped out of the rankings after taking a break from the sport due to the birth of her daughter.