His combined payday for the bouts: $85 million.

That helped make Mayweather the world’s highest-paid athlete over the past year, unseating Tiger Woods, who has been the top-earner since 2001. Woods ranks third this year with earnings of $59.4 million.

Mayweather maximizes his earnings by also acting as his own fight promoter through his company Mayweather Promotions. He collects all of the revenue from tickets, pay-per-view and sponsorships and covers the costs, including the purse for his opponent. His take home per fight is typically at least 50% higher than what his rival Manny Pacquiao earns.

Being a wildly polarizing figure doesn’t seem to have hurt his earnings. He charmed old ladies as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2007 and provoked outrage with his racially charged, hate-filled rant against Pacquiao in 2010. His antics create buzz, and the result is both boxing fans and people who are normally indifferent to the sport pay up for his bouts. He has been a part of the four biggest non-heavyweight PPV events in boxing's history. The Cotto fight generated $94 million in PPV receipts.

Pacquiao ranks second with earnings of $62 million. Over the past 12 months he fought Juan Manuel Marquez and Tim Bradley. The bouts netted him $56 million, including money he gets from their broadcast in the Philippines. He also made an estimated $6 million over the past year outside the ring through endorsements with Nike, Hewlett-Packard, Monster Energy and Hennessy.

Woods’ total earnings dropped $16 million from last year to $59.4 million and have been sliced in half since their peak in 2009. Despite his collapse in this year’s U.S. Open, Woods is playing much better on the course and his prize money doubled from the prior 12 months. But the $2 million bump in prize money does not offset the loss of sponsors like Tag Heuer and Gillette.

Tiger Woods' golf course design business has struggled like his game. (AP)

Woods’ golf course design business has also struggled. Development of his Dubai course was shut down last year and the developer of his North Carolina course, Cliffs Club & Hospitality, filed for bankruptcy in 2012.

LeBron James leads the 13 basketball players that made the cut. James ranks fourth overall with earnings of $53 million. James, like all NBA players, had his salary sliced 20% by the NBA lockout, but he continues to make a mint off the court from sponsors like Nike, Coca-Cola, State Farm and McDonald’s. James’ income also got a boost when he received cash as part of his marketing partnership with Fenway Sports Group last year, through which James received a stake in the soccer club Liverpool.

Thirty football players rank among the 100 highest-paid athletes, which is more than any other sport. Many NFL players had bonuses delayed until the summer of 2011 that normally would have been paid in March due to the NFL lockout. Several players, like No. 30 Eli Manning, had their 2012 salaries converted into signing bonuses and paid out in March to alleviate team’s salary cap issues, which further goosed the number of NFL players in the top 100. Peyton Manning is the NFL’s highest-paid player with earnings of $42.4 million, which ranks 10th overall. The Indianapolis Colts paid Manning $26.4 million in 2011 even though he missed the season recovering from neck surgery. Manning joined the Denver Broncos as a free agent in March, when he inked a five-year, $96 million contract that paid him a $6 million advance on his 2012 Broncos’ salary. Manning continues to be the NFL’s top pitchman, earning $10 million annually off the field from Reebok, Gatorade, Sony, DirecTV, Wheaties and Papa John’s.

Athletes from 11 different sports qualified for the top 100, including two cricket legends (Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 31 and Sachin Tendulkar at No. 78), as well as track star Usain Bolt, who ranks No. 63 with earnings of $20.3 million. The 100 highest earners made $2.6 billion collectively during the past 12 months.

Our earnings figures include salaries, bonuses, prize money, appearance fees, as well as licensing and endorsement income for the 12 months between June 2011 and June 2012. We do not deduct for taxes or agents’ fees.

Two women made the top 100 (the cut-off was $16.6 million). Maria Sharapova ranks No. 26 with earnings of $27.9 million. She has long had a coveted portfolio of sponsors that now includes Nike, Head, Samsung, Tag Heuer and Evian. Sales for the Maria Sharapova Collection, her line of products at Nike subsidiary Cole Haan, doubled last year. Her ballet flat is the best selling female shoe for Cole Haan. Sharapova has stepped up her play on the court over the past year and is now the No. 1 ranked tennis player in the world. She completed a career Grand Slam with her French Open title and earned $5.9 million in prize money over the past 12 months.

Li Na ranks No. 81 overall with earnings of $18.4 million. She was a mildly successful pro with three career WTA victories before 2011, when she reached two Grand Slam finals and won the French Open title. The win in Paris made her the first Asian-born player ever to win a singles Grand Slam event. She signed seven multimillion-dollar endorsement deals after the historic win, in spite of the sluggish overall sponsorship market. Li shills for Babolat, Haagan-Daaz, Nike, Samsung and Mercedes, as well as multiple Chinese companies.

The List:

1. Floyd Mayweather ($85 million)

2. Manny Pacquiao ($62 million)

3. Tiger Woods ($59.4 million)

4. Lebron James ($53 million)

5. Roger Federer ($52.7 million)

6. Kobe Bryant ($52.3 million)

7. Phil Mickelson ($47.8 million)

8. David Beckham ($46 million)

9. Cristiano Ronaldo ($42.5 million)

10. Peyton Manning ($42.4 million)

LifeLock - Make Money!

Do you want to go back to school and earn a degree that employers actually want?

In their "Job Outlook 2012" report, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) uncovered which college degrees are most wanted by employers in 2012.

The report also noted that the surveyed employers said that they plan to hire 9.5 percent more new graduates between 2011 and 2012 than they did between 2010 and 2011.

New York career expert and psychologist, Eileen Sharaga, is not surprised by these numbers. "Economic reports indicate that employers are starting to hire," says Sharaga, noting that industries like accounting, finance, and computer science are seeing a bright hiring outlook.

So, how exactly do you get these employers to come after you? While there are no guarantees that a specific degree will lead to a job, it might help to know which degrees they are currently targeting.

Keep reading to learn more...

#1 Degree - Finance

If numerical equations don't intimidate you, you might want to consider earning an in-demand bachelor's degree in finance.

Most Wanted: This facts and figures degree is definitely on employers' radar, with the 2012 NACE job outlook report finding that 61.3 percent of surveyed respondents intend to hire finance degree grads.

Typical Coursework: "Finance majors learn how to make financial decisions for organizations" with help from courses that cover topics like planning, raising funds, making wise investments, and controlling costs, notes the College Board, an educational organization that administers aptitude tests like the SAT.

Click to Find the Right Finance Program.

Potential Careers & Average Annual Salaries: It's no surprise this degree is in demand with employers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, you could take a variety of career paths with this degree, including financial analyst ($87,740), personal financial advisor ($90,900), and insurance underwriter ($67,520).*

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#2 Degree - Accounting

Do you like to keep an eye on your budgets and finances? Then consider studying accounting, an area that employers have their eyes on.

Most Wanted: With 59.3 percent of surveyed employers planning to hire accounting grads in 2012, according to the NACE report, accounting majors would do well to keep their calculators and spreadsheets handy after graduation.

Typical Coursework: "Accounting majors learn how to gather, record, analyze, interpret, and communicate information about an individual's or organization's financial performance and risks," says the College Board. To get a handle on these skills, you'll likely take commonly offered courses like business law, auditing, and tax accounting.

Click to Find the Right Accounting Program.

Potential Careers & Average Annual Salaries: With a bachelor's degree in accounting, you could learn the skills needed to help you pursue a career as an accountant ($70,130), auditor ($55,430), or budget analyst ($71,450).*

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#3 Degree - Computer and Information Sciences

Computers, smartphones, and tech gadgets have become necessities in both our personal and professional lives. That might explain why so many employers are after techies with a degree in computer and information sciences.

Most Wanted: In fact, according to the NACE report, 59.3 percent of surveyed employers have plans to hire computer and information science grads this year.

Typical Coursework: With this degree, you'll likely learn about areas like "robotics, natural language recognition programs, artificial intelligence, programming languages, numerical analysis, and gaming technology," notes the Princeton Review's "Top 10 College Majors" list on their website. The Princeton Review is a leading provider of education support and college preparation services.

Click to Find the Right Computer and Information Sciences Program.

Potential Careers & Average Annual Salaries: With a bachelor's degree in this tech-savvy area, you could prepare to go after careers like network and computer systems administrator ($74,270), computer programmer ($76,010), and computer systems analyst ($82,320).* Earning a "most wanted" degree never sounded so good.

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#4 Degree - Engineering, Electrical and Mechanical

When you think of robots and roller coasters, what comes to mind? Fun, excitement, innovation, and engineering... Okay, engineering might not have been your first thought, but did you know that without talented engineers and the in-demand degrees linked with them, robots and roller coasters might not exist?

Most Wanted: Finding people to help build and purpose these types of thrilling devices and machines is a high priority for employers - at least that's what stats from the NACE report seem to indicate. The report found that 51.5 and 50 percent of surveyed employers plan to hire electrical and mechanical engineers in 2012, respectively.

Typical Coursework: Electrical engineering majors "study electricity: how it works, how it's generated, and how it's used to power everything from light bulbs and radios to cell phones and robots," says the College Board. Mechanical engineering majors, on the other hand, "learn about the machines that bring convenience and excitement to our lives. They study the physics that make roller coasters loop and planes fly."

Click to Find the Right Engineering Program.

Potential Careers & Average Annual Salaries: It's no surprise that employers are after engineering grads. Depending on which bachelor's in engineering you earn - electrical or mechanical - you could be prepped to pursue careers like electrical engineer ($89,200), mechanical engineer ($83,550), and sales engineer ($97,320).*

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#5 Degree - Business Administration

Leader, ambitious, problem-solver...if these are words that describe you, or terms you want to be associated with - a degree in business administration might be worth considering. And more importantly, it's a degree that employers want.

Most Wanted: Employers have their sights on students with this business degree background, notes the NACE report. To get into specifics, 48.5 percent of surveyed employers said they plan to snatch business grads to join their companies this year.

Typical Coursework: "This program prepares students to plan, organize, direct, and control an organization's activities," notes the College Board. And just how do students pick up this expertise? Probably from commonly offered courses that could include accounting, business communication, and management.

Click to Find the Right Business Administration Program.

Potential Careers & Average Annual Salaries: With this "most wanted" degree, students could prepare to pursue careers like human resources specialist ($58,890), market research analyst ($67,130), and personal financial advisor ($90,900).*

Fans will continue to get their fill of the Kardashians. E! Network announced that it has inked a $40 million deal for three more seasons of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

TMZ reports that the multimillion-dollar contract makes the deal the richest in reality TV history, and that family members Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe, as well as parents Kris and Bruce Jenner, will earn equal pay, and they'll receive most of the money.

Lesser stars Kendall, Kylie, and Rob will be paid equally but less than the others. Scott Disick and son Mason, as well as Khloe's husband, Lamar Odom, will pocket separate fees.

The contract applies only to shows that currently exist, but the deal also secures first-look rights to all the family's nonscripted show ideas. No word on whether Kanye West will join Kimmy on her show next season or if they will cut their own deal for a spin-off.

The Kardashian family has turned into a franchise of spin-offs: Five of the most watched shows in the history of the network are Kardashian programs.

The Season 6 finale was a hit, attracting 3.3 million viewers. It boasted similar audience numbers throughout the season, making it the cable network’s most popular series, with the Kardashians themselves the source of fascination and fury from fans and detractors alike.

The family has banked on its brand, most obviously with Kim Kardashian's wedding, which number crunchers have estimated to have given the family a windfall of some $18 million, including People magazine’s $2.5 million for exclusive rights to photos, a reported $15 million from E! for a four-hour televised special, and $100,000 from OK Magazine for exclusive rights to coverage of the bridal shower.

Given that the marriage lasted just 72 days, critics charged that the wedding wasn't reality but a ruse. That, however, didn't seem to hurt negotiations to keep the show on the small screen.

Twitter was abuzz with the news. IownJD called it "absolutely ridiculous." MishaaaDoll noted "can't knock their hustle though." Kirstie Alley (yes, that Kirstie Alley) tweeted, "The Kardashians just inked the richest deal in reality tv history $40,000,000 ... Kirstie Kardashian...lost sister?"

The Kardashian fam has certainly cashed in on its notoriety. From a range of product endorsements to Kim's mayoral ambitions to, according to the Daily Mail, perhaps the launch of a show in London (watch out, Kate Middleton). There's sure to be lots of Kardashian news in our future -- let's just hope it's worth $40 million.

A weak labor market already has left half of young college graduates either jobless or underemployed in positions that don't fully use their skills and knowledge.

Young adults with bachelor's degrees are increasingly scraping by in lower-wage jobs — waiter or waitress, bartender, retail clerk or receptionist, for example — and that's confounding their hopes a degree would pay off despite higher tuition and mounting student loans.

An analysis of government data conducted for The Associated Press lays bare the highly uneven prospects for holders of bachelor's degrees.

Opportunities for college graduates vary widely.

While there's strong demand in science, education and health fields, arts and humanities flounder. Median wages for those with bachelor's degrees are down from 2000, hit by technological changes that are eliminating midlevel jobs such as bank tellers. Most future job openings are projected to be in lower-skilled positions such as home health aides, who can provide personalized attention as the U.S. population ages.

Taking underemployment into consideration, the job prospects for bachelor's degree holders fell last year to the lowest level in more than a decade.

"I don't even know what I'm looking for," says Michael Bledsoe, who described months of fruitless job searches as he served customers at a Seattle coffeehouse. The 23-year-old graduated in 2010 with a creative writing degree.

Initially hopeful that his college education would create opportunities, Bledsoe languished for three months before finally taking a job as a barista, a position he has held for the last two years. In the beginning he sent three or four resumes day. But, Bledsoe said, employers questioned his lack of experience or the practical worth of his major. Now he sends a resume once every two weeks or so.

Bledsoe, currently making just above minimum wage, says he got financial help from his parents to help pay off student loans. He is now mulling whether to go to graduate school, seeing few other options to advance his career. "There is not much out there, it seems," he said.

His situation highlights a widening but little-discussed labor problem. Perhaps more than ever, the choices that young adults make earlier in life — level of schooling, academic field and training, where to attend college, how to pay for it — are having long-lasting financial impact.

"You can make more money on average if you go to college, but it's not true for everybody," says Harvard economist Richard Freeman, noting the growing risk of a debt bubble with total U.S. student loan debt surpassing $1 trillion. "If you're not sure what you're going to be doing, it probably bodes well to take some job, if you can get one, and get a sense first of what you want from college."

Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University who analyzed the numbers, said many people with a bachelor's degree face a double whammy of rising tuition and poor job outcomes. "Simply put, we're failing kids coming out of college," he said, emphasizing that when it comes to jobs, a college major can make all the difference. "We're going to need a lot better job growth and connections to the labor market, otherwise college debt will grow."

By region, the Mountain West was most likely to have young college graduates jobless or underemployed — roughly 3 in 5. It was followed by the more rural southeastern U.S., including Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. The Pacific region, including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, also was high on the list.

On the other end of the scale, the southern U.S., anchored by Texas, was most likely to have young college graduates in higher-skill jobs.

The figures are based on an analysis of 2011 Current Population Survey data by Northeastern University researchers and supplemented with material from Paul Harrington, an economist at Drexel University, and the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank. They rely on Labor Department assessments of the level of education required to do the job in 900-plus U.S. occupations, which were used to calculate the shares of young adults with bachelor's degrees who were "underemployed."

About 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor's degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed, the highest share in at least 11 years. In 2000, the share was at a low of 41 percent, before the dot-com bust erased job gains for college graduates in the telecommunications and IT fields.

Out of the 1.5 million who languished in the job market, about half were underemployed, an increase from the previous year.

Broken down by occupation, young college graduates were heavily represented in jobs that require a high school diploma or less.

In the last year, they were more likely to be employed as waiters, waitresses, bartenders and food-service helpers than as engineers, physicists, chemists and mathematicians combined (100,000 versus 90,000). There were more working in office-related jobs such as receptionist or payroll clerk than in all computer professional jobs (163,000 versus 100,000). More also were employed as cashiers, retail clerks and customer representatives than engineers (125,000 versus 80,000).

According to government projections released last month, only three of the 30 occupations with the largest projected number of job openings by 2020 will require a bachelor's degree or higher to fill the position — teachers, college professors and accountants. Most job openings are in professions such as retail sales, fast food and truck driving, jobs which aren't easily replaced by computers.

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level; those with nursing, teaching, accounting or computer science degrees were among the most likely.

In Nevada, where unemployment is the highest in the nation, Class of 2012 college seniors recently expressed feelings ranging from anxiety and fear to cautious optimism about what lies ahead.

With the state's economy languishing in an extended housing bust, a lot of young graduates have shown up at job placement centers in tears. Many have been squeezed out of jobs by more experienced workers, job counselors said, and are now having to explain to prospective employers the time gaps in their resumes.

"It's kind of scary," said Cameron Bawden, 22, who is graduating from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in December with a business degree. His family has warned him for years about the job market, so he has been building his resume by working part time on the Las Vegas Strip as a food runner and doing a marketing internship with a local airline.

Bawden said his friends who have graduated are either unemployed or working along the Vegas Strip in service jobs that don't require degrees. "There are so few jobs and it's a small city," he said. "It's all about who you know."

Any job gains are going mostly to workers at the top and bottom of the wage scale, at the expense of middle-income jobs commonly held by bachelor's degree holders. By some studies, up to 95 percent of positions lost during the economic recovery occurred in middle-income occupations such as bank tellers, the type of job not expected to return in a more high-tech age.

David Neumark, an economist at the University of California-Irvine, said a bachelor's degree can have benefits that aren't fully reflected in the government's labor data. He said even for lower-skilled jobs such as waitress or cashier, employers tend to value bachelor's degree-holders more highly than high-school graduates, paying them more for the same work and offering promotions.

In addition, U.S. workers increasingly may need to consider their position in a global economy, where they must compete with educated foreign-born residents for jobs. Longer-term government projections also may fail to consider "degree inflation," a growing ubiquity of bachelor's degrees that could make them more commonplace in lower-wage jobs but inadequate for higher-wage ones.

That future may be now for Kelman Edwards Jr., 24, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., who is waiting to see the returns on his college education.

After earning a biology degree last May, the only job he could find was as a construction worker for five months before he quit to focus on finding a job in his academic field. He applied for positions in laboratories but was told they were looking for people with specialized certifications.

"I thought that me having a biology degree was a gold ticket for me getting into places, but every other job wants you to have previous history in the field," he said. Edwards, who has about $5,500 in student debt, recently met with a career counselor at Middle Tennessee State University. The counselor's main advice: Pursue further education.

"Everyone is always telling you, 'Go to college,'" Edwards said. "But when you graduate, it's kind of an empty cliff."

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Associated Press writers Manuel Valdes in Seattle; Travis Loller in Nashville, Tenn.; Cristina Silva in Las Vegas; and Sandra Chereb in Carson City, Nev., contributed to this report.

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