Social Media
Social Media

Pacquiao knocks out Mayweather in Twitter popularity

Rappler.com
Pacquiao knocks out Mayweather in Twitter popularity
When it comes to social media sentiment, Pacquiao totally won that fight

MANILA, Philippines – Floyd Mayweather Jr defeated Manny Pacquiao on Saturday, May 2 (Sunday, May 3 in Manila), at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. But in the Twitterverse, Pacquiao was the clear victor, with an overwhelming number of posts in support of the Filipino fighter. 

According to Twitter’s Asia-Pacific team, the hashtag #MayPac was seen 2.7 billion times all over the world from 8:00 pm ET, May 2 to 3:00 am ET, May 3:


The events tweeted about the most during the #MayPac fight were:
 
1. The announcement that Mayweather won, 116-112
2. Mayweather’s post-fight interview

 

3. Pacquiao’s post-fight interview

 

4. The end of the 12th round
5. Pacquiao’s onslaught of punches towards the end of the 4th round 
  
As seen in this animated Twitter heat map, most of the world was aflame with #MayPac tweets:
 
 
Pacquiao’s official Twitter handle @MannyPacquiao earned 1.6 million mentions during the fight, while Mayweather’s @FloydMayweather account earned 3.4 million. 
 
 
Furthermore, based on social media mapping app Reach, pro boxers were the most popular commentators, with the Twitter handles of Pacquiao, Mayweather, and fellow boxing champ Mike Tyson ranking highest in their ability to broadcast tweets. 
 
As can be seen below, Pacquiao’s account made the largest impact of the 3:

“People were highly engaged with Manny and Floyd,” said Rappler’s data scientist Russell Shepherd. “About half of these netizens tweeted both boxers.” As for the other people in either boxer’s camp, it was Pacquiao’s coach Freddy Roach who was tweeted to the most, although Roach did not himself participate in the conversation.

“The accounts of various media outlets also connected groups of netizens together,” said Shepherd. These included Top Rank Boxing, Showtime Sports, HBO Boxing, The Bleacher Report, and E! Online. 

In the end, however, Pacquiao came out triumphant sentiment-wise, generating the most heartening show of support. Here are some highlights: 

 
 
 
 
Did you tweet either boxer’s accounts or use the hashtag #MayPac? Let us know your #MayPac Twitter experience or observations in the comments section below! – Rappler.com 
 
 
 

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