Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao slug it out on social media

    by Motez Bishara, CNN

    Updated 1131 GMT (1931 HKT) March 12, 2015

    Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao have turned to social media to promote their fight in a battle for online supremacy.
    Photos: Mayweather - Pacquiao: Seconds out on social media
    Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao have turned to social media to promote their fight in a battle for online supremacy.
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    Mayweather, posing for a selfie with Justin Bieber, has invested in Shot, a photo-sharing social media application.
    Photos: Mayweather - Pacquiao: Seconds out on social media
    Mayweather, posing for a selfie with Justin Bieber, has invested in Shot, a photo-sharing social media application.
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    Mayweather's last bout was against Marcos Maidana of Argentina on September 13, 2014 at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather dominated with a 12 round unanimous decision, retaining his WBA welterweight belt and WBC welterweight and super welterweight world titles.
    Photos: Mayweather - Pacquiao: Seconds out on social media
    Mayweather's last bout was against Marcos Maidana of Argentina on September 13, 2014 at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather dominated with a 12 round unanimous decision, retaining his WBA welterweight belt and WBC welterweight and super welterweight world titles.
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    Most of Pacquiao's social media posts evoke his Christian faith and devotion to family. He is photographed with his wife Jinkee during mass in the Quiapo district of Manila on November 20, 2009.
    Photos: Mayweather - Pacquiao: Seconds out on social media
    Most of Pacquiao's social media posts evoke his Christian faith and devotion to family. He is photographed with his wife Jinkee during mass in the Quiapo district of Manila on November 20, 2009.
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    The Filipino superstar hugs his daughters Princess (R) and Queen Elizabeth during a press conference in Manila on November 20, 2010. Family snaps make up much of his Instagram feed.
    Photos: Mayweather - Pacquiao: Seconds out on social media
    The Filipino superstar hugs his daughters Princess (R) and Queen Elizabeth during a press conference in Manila on November 20, 2010. Family snaps make up much of his Instagram feed.
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    Pacquiao most recently won a unanimous decision over Chris Algieri of the United States during the WBO world welterweight title at The Venetian on November 23, 2014 in Macau.
    Photos: Mayweather - Pacquiao: Seconds out on social media
    Pacquiao most recently won a unanimous decision over Chris Algieri of the United States during the WBO world welterweight title at The Venetian on November 23, 2014 in Macau.
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    01 boxing 022614 selfies 0917Floyd Mayweather Jr. Marcos Maidanamanny pacquiao wife faithmanny pacquiao children daughterspacquiao fighting

    Story highlights

    • Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao bout set to be the largest purse in boxing history
    • Fighters take to social media to boost viewership
    • Instagram accounts highlight personality clash
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    (CNN)A chiseled boxer's Instagram feed shows him making constant references to the Bible and enjoying gospel singing with his wife.

    Another features his formidable opponent counting stacks of money, hanging out in strip clubs, and flashing diamond watches and Ferraris.
      Welcome to the world of boxing promotion, circa 2015.
        American Floyd Mayweather and Filipino Manny Pacquiao are set to officially announce their heavily anticipated boxing match at a press conference in Los Angeles Wednesday.
        With the combined purse for the May 2 bout in Las Vegas reported to touch $300 million pending viewership numbers, the incentives to self-promote could not be higher.
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        "Nowadays you have to be on social media to launch the fight and to build hype," says boxing promoter Nisse Sauerland, CEO of Team Sauerland. "It couldn't be done without it."
        Thirty-eight year old Mayweather (47-0, 26 knockouts), who favors the moniker "The Money Man" or "TBE" (The Best Ever), boasts nearly five million Instagram followers, 5.65 million followers on Twitter and 9.2 million Facebook likes.
        He famously confirmed the fight via Shots, a photo sharing social media application that he's invested in, and displays links to his clothing brand, The Money Team, on all his accounts.
        Along with professing to the be the best fighter of all time, he could also stake a claim to be one of the greatest social media users in sports.
        "I think they're both playing their roles," says Sauerland, who promotes over 45 boxers. "You've got the bad guy and the good guy, really. You've got the guy who throws the money around (Mayweather), that's his image, and Pacquiao, he's the hope of a nation."

        www.themoneyteam.com

        A video posted by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on

        Although Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 knockouts) also sports millions of followers, his social media numbers lag behind that of his opponent.
        The 36-year-old Filipino counts 1.7 million followers on Twitter and just 647,000 on Instagram, although his popularity on Facebook is much closer, with 6.3 million page likes.