Radian6 scan bares netizens’ sentiment on ‘fight of the century’

MANILA, Philippines – The world never thought it would happen, but it did.

A storm that started brewing in 2009, when the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight was merely a rumor, has now come to a head. Though the two lead the world on a merry “will-they-or-won’t-they” dance to the ring, the time has arrived for this question to be answered, “Who is the next pound-for-pound king?” (LIVE BLOG: Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather)

While the real fight will be settled tomorrow at the MGM Grand, there is another much larger issue making the rounds online. Knowing that the matter of who will emerge victorious will be put to rest, the noise heralding that decision is more deafening than any to be heard now, or tomorrow at ringside.

Regardless of where the crown will rest in the aftermath of the much-anticipated fight, netizens certainly have their own ideas as to who will be taking home the prize.

Fever pitch

Using Radian6, a powerful listening tool, it was noted that mentions of the Pacquiao-Mayweather debacle have been growing. Over the last 30 days, over 2.8 million people across the globe have shared their thoughts and predictions on what is seen to be one of the most exciting boxing matches to date.

Majority of mentions were seen to come from the United States, followed by the United Kingdom, Canada, The Netherlands, Brazil, Philippines, China, Spain, and Mexico. The wide division of countries shows that the world is definitely engaged and keeping all eyes and ears on Pacquiao-Mayweather developments as they arise.

Winning hearts: Who’s got the belt?

Of course, the more intriguing matter is who is the crowd favorite to take home the crown? Both fighters have had an undeniably magnetic performance in the ring. In fact, a scan shows that both fighters seem to have an equal share of the pie with Mayweather garnering 50.7% and Pacquiao capturing the other 49.3% of mentions.

However, digging a bit deeper, Radian6 reveals that Pacquiao’s fans seem to have more confidence in their bet, as evidenced by the greater share of positive sentiment. Opinions on Mayweather fall toward the negative end of the spectrum, where the crowd views his arrogance as off-putting.

This is further evidenced by specific social shares that call on the latter’s pending domestic violence cases, which may have had a huge negative impact on his career in general. Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s more positive image as a family man and dutiful son and citizen has captured more hearts globally.

I hope manny beat the shit out of floyd. Imagine that, you lose on your terms! < DAAMN, I don’t wanna be in that position man

— CM Stan | #BARÇA (@Waleed3bbas) May 2, 2015

 

 

Though the fact of the matter remains, that the official victor will be decided in the fight, the online arena has already picked its champion. All that remains to be seen is whether expectations and reality will meet. – Rappler.com

 

 

Pauline Pangan, the author, is the founder of AllFamous Digital. Aside from being an entrepreneur and a lover of social media, she is also actively involved in social outreach through LifelinePH, a charity organization she founded that helps people displaced by calamities and less fortunate. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Wek De Guzman, who did the Radian6 Scan, is a partner and the Head of Business Consulting at AllFamous Digital. He is most passionate in helping transform how business interacts with its clients through digital customer engagement. Connect with him on Twitter: @wek_allfamous

AllFamous Digital  is a digital marketing agency that services big clientele locally and internationally. It is also the Authorized Reseller and Services Partner of Salesforce Marketing Cloud in Asia.