The world has a new WBO Welterweight champion. 29-year-old Jeff “The Hornet” Horn (@jeffhornboxer) beat 38-year-old Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) in a 12-round bout that took place in the 52,500-seat capacity Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. Twitter once again captured the historic sporting event who went the distance and generated over 500,000 Tweets (9 am PHT, 2 July – 12 pm PHT, 3 July). The peak of conversation on Twitter occurred on 1.30 pm PHT with 3,300 Tweets per minute when @jeffhornboxer was announced as the new champ.
The global event triggered conversations on Twitter, mainly because of the bout results. The judges’ unanimous decision declaring Horn as the winner did not sit well with celebrities and sports personalities alike. From Hollywood actor Samuel Jackson to the boxing champion Lennox Lewis, many shared their dismay on Twitter.
Despite the loss, the senator/professional boxer displayed nothing but good sportsmanship endearing him more to his supporters.
