OVER the last few years, Twitter has become increasingly important in the boxing world.
Boxers provide updates, exchange trash talk and even make fights on the 140-character social networking site.
But who is the sport’s biggest draw on the internet?
This list ranks the top ten most followed fighters on Twitter with the exception of Manny Pacquiao, whose verified official account (@MannyPacquiao) only has 160,000 people watching it despite the fact his “fan account” (@MannyPacquiaoTR) is followed by 2.6 million.
All stats correct as of August 7th 2017.
10. Kell Brook – 440k followers
Sheffield’s former IBF welterweight champion became one of the biggest names in British boxing with his last two fights being shown on PPV.
He lost them both, but he has more Twitter followers than his two conquerors (Gennady Golovkin – 410k and Errol Spence – 50k).
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9. Miguel Cotto – 560k followers
As Puerto Rico’s only four-weight world champion in history, Miguel Cotto is a national hero in his homeland.
Combine this with the fact he’s been having huge fights in the United States with the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao for over a decade and you get an immense social media following.
8. Tyson Fury – 660k followers
Make sure you’re following Tyson Fury on Twitter – it’s the best way to keep up with his latest retirement/comeback announcements.
The self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ couldn’t be much further away from being media trained and has gathered a large following as a result of some entertaining outbursts in the past.
7. Canelo Alvarez - 1m followers
Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez has amassed a large following during his ascent to the top of the sport.
The 27-year-old two-weight champion is only just getting started and could well top this list in years to come.
6. David Haye - 1.2m followers
Former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion David Haye has crossed over into Britain's wider sporting consciousness as his career has progressed.
Haye has been accused of being a "celebrity boxer" by many of his past opponents and even went on ITV’s ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here’.
5. Anthony Joshua - 1.3m followers
Current unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has rocketed into superstardom over the past couple of years.
It was only two years ago that he was fighting Gary Cornish for the Commonwealth title! Joshua is now without doubt a crossover star and one of the biggest names in British sport.
4. Vijender Singh - 1.4m followers
India's Vijender Singh is a bit of a wildcard in this list, but due to his successful amateur career and decent professional start, the 9-0 super-middleweight has become a phenomenon in his home country.
Bear in mind India has a population of over 1.3 billion.
3. Amir Khan - 2.1m followers
Not only is Amir Khan one of the biggest names in British boxing, but his Pakistani heritage ensures he has an enormous following on the other side of the world too.
You can find a number of wonderful things on Khan's account, not all of them should really be shared with the public though!
2. Conor McGregor - 5.2m followers
Like it or not, Conor McGregor is now a registered boxer ahead of his fight with Mayweather and so he must be included in this list.
The Irishman earned his fame by dominating the sport of MMA and now says he intends to do the same in boxing.
1. Floyd Mayweather - 7.4m followers
The former pound-for-pound No1 still reigns supreme on Twitter.
Five-weight world champion Mayweather has been at the top of the sport for well over a decade and, even in his multiple retirements, continued to make numerous headlines.
As he only just retired after stopping McGregor in the tenth round of their cross-sports bout, we thought we'd leave him in.
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