Sometimes dreams do come true.
That’s the takeaway after Australia’s Jeff Horn shocked the boxing world with his unanimous points decision over Fillipino Manny Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium.
In one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, the unheralded teacher from Queensland, who has only been a pro for just four years, defeated a legend of the sweet science in the ‘Pacman’.
Few gave Horn a chance, including yours truly, but he proved the critics wrong with a brave and gutsy display. The three judges scored it 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 to the Aussie.
Horn started the fight well but Pacquiao looked to have it won in the ninth round when the referee threatened to the stop the fight. But Horn recovered, finished strongly in the final rounds and managed to edge the decision. All of Pacquiao’s 38 years and many rounds in his career seem to toll at the end as he faded and failed to put his opponent away.
But this of course boxing, and controversy always follows. Many have questioned the decision of the judges in a close fight, of whom two were American and one Argentinian, and the stats show they may have a point.
While Horn threw 625 punches to Pacquiao’s 573, only 15% or 92 of Horn’s punches landed. In contrast 32% or 182 of the Filipino’s did, while he also almost landed double the amount of power punches Horn did.
Boxing commentator Teddy Atlas was ringside and he said: “They gave a trophy, a win, a huge win, to Horn, the local kid, for trying hard. You’re not supposed to get it for trying hard, you’re supposed to get it for winning and I thought Pacquiao won the fight. If you go by the real rules, the Marquess of Queensberry rules, who lands the cleaner punches?”
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach cried foul after the fight and called for judge Waleska Roldan to be investigated after she had Horn winning by six points.
“That was hard, sometimes I think people need to be investigated,” he said. “At least in America where you get odd scores like that with the judges, the head commissioner should ask at some point, ‘Why? Where? Show me how you came up with that score.”
Essentially though Pacquiao and his team underestimated Horn, along with everyone else. ‘Pacman’ should have never let it go the full 12 rounds, he should he closed Horn out early. Justin Fortune, Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach, admitted as much.
“He fought better than we ever thought he would,” Fortune said. “Jeff fought 100 times better than he’ll ever fight again. The kid’s got a lot of heart, a lot of balls. We’ll see where he goes from there."
A rematch is now on the cards if Pacquiao doesn’t retire. The Filipino should hang up his gloves though, he has nothing left to prove and at his age it is only downhill from here.
For Horn, he can set up his life from here with a series of big paydays. Fluke or not, he has made history, he has his Rocky moment.
The school teacher taught the boxing icon a lesson – dreams can come true.
