ASCII Boxing Match

About

ASCII Boxing Match is a text-based image macro featuring a depiction of an ASCII Art figures engaging in a boxing match or fist fight. People have used this image to humorously express feelings of internal conflict.

Origin

The earliest known usage of the format was posted by Twitter ^[1] user @smilesrenjun on April 6th, 2019. The Portuguese-language tweet expresses a late-night dream in which the K-Pop stars Renjun and Haechan fight. The post received more than 1,100 retweets and 2,100 likes in less than one month (shown below).

Spread

Over the next week, people shared variations of the format. On April 12th, 2019, Twitter^[2] users @GaboTabernero tweeted a variation that featured the fight between "saving" and "spending." The post received more than 6,900 retweets and 11,000 likes in less than one month (shown below, left). The following day, Twitter^[3] user @starkpolitical posted a two-part variation featuring a fight between "scioli" and "lancha." The post received more than 4,500 retweets and 34,000 likes in less than one month (shown below, center).

The following day, Twitter^[4] user @disgustingposer posted one of the earliest viral English-language version of the format. The post received more than 8,400 retweets and 27,000 likes in less than three weeks (shown below, right).

On April 21st, 2019, Twitter^[5] user @peedekaf tweeted a fight between one's self and "the urge to cry." Within two weeks, the tweet received more than 24,000 retweets and 89,000 likes (shown below).

The following week, on April 30th, Twitter^[6] published a Moments page about the meme.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References