Horn stuns Pacquiao to win welterweight title

Brisbane: Former schoolteacher Jeff Horn stunned world champion Manny Pacquiao to win the World Boxing Organisation welterweight crown with a controversial unanimous points decision in Brisbane on Sunday.

Given no chance by most observers, the 29-year-old Horn’s ultra-aggressive style rocked Pacquiao, with the three judges scoring the fight 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 to the Australian after 12 rounds.

Pacquiao’s camp and observers including Lennox Lewis slammed the decision, as the eight-weight world champion said on Filipino TV: “We thought that we won this fight.”

“There is no problem with me if there’s a rematch,” he added. “It would be better if the rematch would be held in the Philippines.”

Pacquiao, 38, is considered one of the greatest fighters of his generation. His camp had predicted a “short and sweet” win over Horn, a 2012 Australian Olympian.

“I feel like he couldn’t get a hold of my gap. I was feinting a lot, trying to upset his rhythm and I think that was working throughout the majority of that fight,” said Horn, who stands three-and-a-half inches (nine cm) taller than Pacquiao.

Pacquiao did manage to land some left jabs in the opening rounds to take the early points, but Horn refused to back away and his brawling tactics paid dividends through the middle stages.

“He was quick when he put combinations together but I felt controlling the gap made it easier to see the punches coming,” Horn said.

Pacquiao had been hoping to set up a second big-money showdown with Floyd Mayweather, but it was Horn who called for a fight with the unbeaten American immediately after his win.

Pacquiao camp slams judges
Pacquiao’s camp slammed the officials after loss.

“The referee was sketchy, the judges were crazy,” fumed Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune, who is a former Australian heavyweight champion.

“Manny lost the fight, but Jeff Horn looks like a pumpkin,” Fortune added, referring to Horn who finished the fight with a badly swollen face and needing stitches over his right eye.

“Those scores, that card? It should be the other way around,” said Fortune.

The result that caused dismay on social media among boxing and sporting greats.

“This is what’s wrong with boxing,” tweeted former undisputed world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

“Horn was very game but I’m hard pressed to see how he could have won that fight by any stretch!”

The fight statistics seemed to back the belief that Pacquiao had done more than enough to win.

Broadcaster ESPN said that Pacquiao had landed 182 punches to 82 from the challenger over the 12 rounds in front of more than 51,000 fans in Horn’s home town of Brisbane.