Kings of Instagram: Floyd Mayweather Jr, Mike Tyson, Anthony Joshua tops among boxers

Had Instagram been around since the advent of professional boxing, there is no doubt that Muhammad Ali would be the greatest in terms of followers — not just among boxers, but sports celebrities in general. As it is, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Ali’s successor in terms of brash talking, rules the roost…

Five-division world champion Mayweather has backed up his supremely-confident talk outside the ring, with an unblemished 50-0 record within the squared circle. The potent combination has earned him nearly 20 million Instagram followers, almost as many as his MMA-crossover opponent, Conor McGregor.

Distantly following Mayweather, in second and third place respectively, are heavyweights Mike Tyson and Anthony Joshua. Long time pound-for-pound great Manny Pacquiao comes in at number four.

UPDATED February 10, 2018

A post shared by Deontay Wilder (@bronzebomber) on Jan 29, 2018 at 3:11pm PST

Deontay Leshun Wilder
Former division: Heavyweight
Born October 22, 1985 🇺🇸 Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Instagram followers: 604 thousand

A post shared by Oscar De La Hoya (@oscardelahoya) on Apr 19, 2017 at 6:19pm PDT

Oscar De La Hoya
Former Division: Welterweight
Born February 4, 1973 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California
Instagram followers: 806 thousand

A post shared by Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) on Jun 8, 2017 at 6:41pm PDT

Amir Iqbal Khan
Division: Welterweight
Born December 8, 1986 🇬🇧 Bolton, England
Instagram followers: 1.2 million

A post shared by Gennady Golovkin | GGG (@gggboxing) on May 26, 2017 at 12:24pm PDT

Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin
Division: Middleweight
Born April 8, 1982 🇰🇿 Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Instagram followers: 2.4 million

A post shared by Muhammad Ali (@muhammadali) on Jul 31, 2017 at 9:29am PDT

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.
Former division: Heavyweight
Born January 17, 1942 🇺🇸 Louisville, Kentucky
Instagram followers: 2.6 million

A post shared by Saul Alvarez (@canelo) on Sep 15, 2017 at 3:39pm PDT

Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán
Division: Middleweight
Born July 18, 1990 🇲🇽 Guadalajara, Mexico
Instagram followers: 2.9 million

A post shared by Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) on Jan 26, 2018 at 6:39am PST

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao
Division: Welterweight
Born December 17, 1978 🇵🇭 Kibawe, Philippines
Instagram followers: 4.1 million

A post shared by Anthony Joshua (@anthony_joshua) on May 26, 2017 at 11:07am PDT

Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua
Weight class: Heavyweight
October 15, 1989 🇬🇧 Watford, United Kingdom
Instagram followers: 5.5 million

A post shared by Mike Tyson (@miketyson) on Feb 8, 2018 at 11:06am PST

Michael Gerard Tyson
Former division: Heavyweight
Born June 30, 1966 🇺🇸 New York City, New York
Instagram followers: 5.9 million

A post shared by Floyd Mayweather (@floydmayweather) on Dec 31, 2017 at 2:22pm PST

Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr.
Division: Welterweight
Born February 24, 1977 🇺🇸 Grand Rapids, Michigan
Instagram followers: 19.9 million