Jeff Horn v. Manny Pacquiao ( Credit – ESPN via EPA)

For twelve rounds, Jeff Horn and Manny Pacquiao put on a clinic. Pacquiao also proved that he could still go after his flat match with Floyd Mayweather. He won two in a row after but nobody knew what to expect from the 29-year old Jeff Horn (17-0-1). The latter beat Manny (59-7-2) for the WBO Welterweight World Title in his home of Brisbane, Australia via unanimous decision, 117-111, 115-113, 115-113.

The match was fantastic, the end result was not. 

It could be said that Horn was doing well the first few rounds. Pacquiao had two big gashes on his head thanks to head shots, but would continue on. Horn was holding his own, but Pacquiao would not back down. Things would get interesting in the later rounds. Pacquiao completely dominated the ninth round, to the point where the referee and Horn’s team asked if Jeff could continue. It had to be over right? Horn proved everyone wrong by continuing on and going blow for blow with Manny. 

While Manny didn’t have that same hook power he used to have, he still gave it his all. At the end of the fight, everyone (including announcer Teddy Atlas) assumed Pacquiao won. Shock and awe took over as Horn was announced the winner. To put it into perspective how fast the internet exploded over this, check out the stats for the fight. In total offense, Pacquiao connected with more punches, jabs and power punches. It looks one-sided. 

httpss://twitter.com/SInow/status/881382768793485312

Crazy right? If this fight could be compared to anything, it would be the Rocky franchise. A young underdog defies the odds to beat a legendary world champion. The match didn’t have the result of Rocky I and it didn’t have the graceful ending that Rocky II had though. It was it’s own mess, and that’s actually what makes it unique.

On free TV (ESPN) this fight was everything the boxing world hoped for, until the end announcement. Horn did put up a great fight, and he has put the sport on notice. Did he deserve the win however? I would say no, but I am not a judge. A 117-111 score just seems unacceptable when viewing the fight again. Some call it hometown bias, but at the end of the day, the dirty deed was done. 

One thing to be thankful for after this is that Pacquiao is not done. He will be willing to have a rematch, and I don’t blame him. He may be a few years older and a bit slower, but the man can still go. It took a young gun to get him truly back in the game. 

Is boxing back? It has a long way to go, and Mayweather v. McGregor is not helping the cause. For one night however, the world got a reminder at just how majestic the sport can be, even with a controversial ending.