Top Rank Vice President Carl Moretti believes the scorecard of 117-111, issued as part of Jeff Horn’s upset win over Manny Pacquiao earlier this win, created the bulk of the issues with the fans and critics who were angered by the outcome.

Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs), who was a tremendous underdog, won a twelve round unanimous decision over Pacquiao before a crowd of 51,000 fans at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

The three judges scored it 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111.

Moretti believes if all three judges had scored it 115-113 – there may not have been such a big outcry over Horn’s victory.

“I think whenever you do a fight and you are there in person as opposed to sitting in front of a television, you can have different opinions on who won the fight. I think the one thing everybody can agree on was that it was a close fight. I think the biggest problem of it was that the first score announced that Waleska Roldan came in with 117-111, and it just wasn’t that type of fight, so that sort of set the tone for controversy and people going crazy over the decision,” Moretti said to On The Ropes Boxing Radio.

“If all three judges would have had it 115-113, I’m not so sure that you would have seen the outcry that you did, but when the first score announced is 117-111, people were ‘Oh this is crazy, it wasn’t that type of a fight,’ and it wasn’t, it was a close fight either way. I think that sort of set the tone and the language for people to go and complain about it. I think it was a close fight and Jeff Horn got it, so people thought at ring side that Jeff Horn legitimately won it, and a lot of people thought that Manny won it.”

There is a rematch clause in the contract. Pacquiao has yet to exercise that option. The Filipino superstar is currently a senator in the Philippines and some members of his team believe the boxer’s successful political career has created some issues when it comes to having a well run training camp.

“I think Manny should take some time with what his decision is going to be. I think he has to try and figure a way to balance out being a senator and still being a professional fighter. Once he can figure that out, then he’ll have a clearer path for us to see what he wants to do. But it’s his decision and we will wait to see what he wants to do,” Moretti said.

www.boxingscene.com/top-rank-vp-pacquiao-horn-close-117-111-created-issue–118740

Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach has revealed that his star pupil for the last decade, eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, barely spoke to him in the aftermath of the recent twelve round decision loss to Jeff Horn.

The loss unexpected, with nearly every expert picking Pacquiao to either dominate or knock the untested Horn out. Neither happened, with Horn winning a unanimous decision based on scores of 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113.

There is a rematch clause in play, if Pacquiao decides to go in that direction.

After the contest was over at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Roach claims that Pacquiao wouldn’t even say two words to him or look him in the eyes. Roach also claims that he’s yet to be paid for his work in the fight.

“I was trying to see where his head was at, and I could not even get him to say hi to me. I don’t know if he was upset with me or what,” Roach told Sports Illustrated.

“I really don’t know if he’s mad at me. But I can tell you this: I haven’t been paid yet. So who knows?”

In the weeks leading up to the fight, Roach had warned that if Pacquiao struggled against a fighter like Horn – it was likely time for the 38-year-old veteran to retire from the sport.

Roach wonders if Pacquiao was being silent because he was worried that his trainer would advise him to hang up the gloves.

“Maybe that’s what he thought I was there to tell him,” Roach says. “But I wouldn’t pick that moment. There were a lot of people. I wouldn’t embarrass anybody like that. He was definitely avoiding me.”

Roach explained that Pacquiao fought in a manner that he’s never seen in over ten years of working with the Filipino star.

“Manny wasn’t himself. He didn’t look like the Manny Pacquiao I’ve known for a long time. It was almost over in the ninth. One more round like that and, man … he just couldn’t do it,” Roach says.

www.boxingscene.com/roach-not-sure-if-pacquiao-mad-me-i-paid–118385?print_friendly=1

Michael Koncz, the long-time adviser to eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, agrees with the opinion of Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum – who felt Pacquiao’s corner was overconfident and unprepared for last weekend’s world title defense against 2012 Australian Olympian Jeff Horn.

Pacquiao’s head trainer, Freddie Roach, and other members of the corner, admit they very surprised with the toughness and the durability of Horn. Prior to the contest, they were giving Horn zero chance of wining.

Horn upset the odds, winning a twelve round unanimous decision to capture Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title before a crowd of over 51,000 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. The three judges were in agreement, scoring the contest 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111 for Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs).

The veteran promoter believes the entire corner dropped the ball in what was a very winnable fight for the eight division world champion. And Arum says the entire corner should be on point here – including head trainer Freddie Roach, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, conditioning coach Justin Fortune and cut man Miguel Diaz.

“What the hell is wrong with that corner? Why wasn’t Freddie Roach out in the ring between rounds yelling at the referee? It’s his job, and there’s confusion in the corner with the languages, with Buboy and Miguel Diaz yelling and screaming like a maniac,” said Arum to The Los Angeles Times.

“And Freddie has to stay close to Manny to give him some advice … to me, they were so overconfident going in — Justin Fortune tells the press that the only way Horn can win is if Manny trips going into the ring. I had seen the kid. I told everybody he was a big, tough kid who could take a punch. I didn’t think he’d beat Manny, but it wasn’t the same Manny.”

Koncz, also felt the corner was lacking.

“The corner didn’t have a strategy. They were all amazed Jeff Horn was such a tough, rugged fighter and they didn’t adapt to it. There’s a lot of blame to go around, but the bottom line is the kid had a lot of heart and came to win and did everything he could to get it, and the referee let him do more than he should have,” Koncz said.

“If we go back to Australia, I’ll be more involved with the promotion and the selection of the judges and referee. I relied heavily on the WBO. Everybody can be blamed for everything for this. If we do have a rematch, there’s got to be a lot of changes. We’re not sure he’s ever going to fight again. I told Manny before the fight that if things didn’t happen, we would sit down and make decisions on what we need to do.”

www.boxingscene.com/koncz-backs-arum-pacquiao-corner-strategy–118194?print_friendly=1

WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs) was not happy with the way Teddy Atlas spoke to him, during their post-fight interview.

Horn is the new owner of the WBO championship after a controversial points victory against Pacquiao on Sunday in a brutal slugfest at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

The unanimous decision in favour of the 29-year-old has prompted a storm of debate over the scorecards, with a host of prominent US celebrities, broadcasters and sports stars weighing in, and some even suggesting the outcome was rigged.

Judges Waleksa Roldan (117-111), Chris Flores (115-113) and Ramon Cerdan (115-113) adjudicated the fight. Roldan and Flores are from the United States and Cerdan is from Argentina, yet there have been accusations it was a hometown decision.

According to CompuBox statistics, Horn landed just 92 punches to Pacquaio’s 182, but some rounds were tight and difficult to score.

Atlas, a veteran trainer and longtime boxing analyst, was working ringside as part of ESPN’s broadcast team.

When the decision was announced, Atlas was furious and expressed his anger to millions of viewers who were catching ESPN’s coverage.

“They gave a trophy, a win, a huge win to Horn, the local kid for trying hard,” Atlas moaned. “You’re not supposed to get it for trying hard, you’re supposed to get it for winning!”

Then, in a post-fight interview at ringside, Atlas told Horn to his face that he didn’t think he won the fight.

“Congratulations, great effort, but I thought you lost,” Atlas said. Pacquiao, standing alongside them, cracked a wide smile.

On Monday, Horn explained that he felt the timing of Atlas’ rant was lacking class.

“Everyone has a right to their opinion. The timing of their opinions can be a bit off sometimes. He was trying to ruin the moment for me at that point. It would have been good for him to say it another time. Say what you want, Teddy,” Horn said.

www.boxingscene.com/horn-atlas-tried-ruin-my-moment-say-what-you-want-teddy–118159?print_friendly=1

Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum felt Manny Pacquiao was overconfident when he entered the ring last Saturday night against Jeff Horn at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

Horn, a 2012 Australian Olympian, pulled off a shocking upset with a twelve round unanimous decision over Pacquiao to capture the WBO welterweight championship – before a crowd of over 50,000 fans at the venue.

The judges scored it 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111 – with all three backing Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs).

Pacquiao admitted afterwards that he didn’t realize how tough Horn was.

Arum was angered by some of the pre-fight comments that were being made by Pacquiao’s handlers – who were calling Horn a “tuneup” opponent and gave him zero chance of winning.  

Arum had warned them over and over that Horn was not a walkover opponent.

“As what happens when you go in overconfident and you know you have the morons in his corner saying that the only way Horn could win the fight is Manny trips his way to the ring. What kind of sh*t is that? I mean I saw the kid fight in New Zealand. I knew he was a competent fighter. I knew it would be a tough fight,” Arum said to News To Go.

Pacquiao intends to exercise a rematch clause. Arum is not going to force the issue on him.

“If Manny wants a rematch, I would do it. But I am not advocating a rematch. That’s up to Manny,” Arum said.

There were many observers who felt the outcome was controversial, with Pacquiao being robbed of a win.

Arum disagrees with the public outcry. He felt the contest was very close and far from a robbery.

“It was a close fight. It could have gone either way. A couple of close rounds, but you can’t argue with the result,” Arum said.

www.boxingscene.com/arum-pacquiao-overconfident-his-corner-said-stupid-things–118167?print_friendly=1

New WBO World Welterweight Champion Jeff Horn.

Jeff Horn poses for the media with his WBO World Welterweight belt.  Credit Photo Source:Getty Images

JEFF Horn walked away with the biggest scalp of his boxing career, claiming the WBO welterweight title with victory over legend Manny Pacquiao.

But Horn didn’t look like a winner as he emerged from celebrations on Monday.

The new welterweight champion looked like he’d been in every bit of a dogfight with Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium.

Horn and Pacquiao went toe to toe for twelve brutal rounds, the intensity unlike anything we’ve seen in recent times. It was as barbaric as it was captivating, both men left battered, bloody and broken.

The Filipino legend landed 182 punches to the face of Horn in the 12 round slugfest.

Jeff Horn shows the punishment sustained at the hands of Pacquiao. Credit:  Source:AAP

123 of those shots were Pacquiao’s power punches. The impact clearly showing on the face of the Queenslander post-fight.

An accidental head clash midway through the fight opened a cut over Horn’s right eye.

In round nine referee Mark Nelson warned Horn’s corner that he’d call time on their fighter if the Aussie didn’t show more.

“You’ve had enough. Show me something in this round or I’m stopping the fight,” Nelson said.

It was in the previous three minute period that Horn came drastically close to having his world title dream quashed.

 Jeff Horn shows the scars of war with Pacquiao.  Credit Photo Source:AFP

Pacquiao had Horn hurt with two big right hands. The Australian didn’t go down, but his legs buckled and he was literally hanging on, using the clinch to soak up some precious seconds, in an attempt to recover.

But Horn did recover. He showed tremendous heart to fight back and take the fight via unanimous decision.

Horn’s corner managed the cut superbly, they rubbed adrenaline into the wound at the end of every round. Trainer Glenn Rushton managing the wounds and continuing to fill his fighter with confidence, urging him on towards victory.

 Jeff Horn’s corner go to work in between rounds.  Photo Credit: Source:Getty Images

It was a war in every sense of the word.

Horn looked very different from the squeaky clean fighter we saw at the pre-fight press conference and weigh-in.

 Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn at the pre-fight press conference.  Credit Photo:  Source:AFP

The Australian resembled every bit of the schoolteacher he once was, before turning professional and dedicating himself to the sport full-time.

On Sunday, he transformed into a brute, bullying Pacquiao at times, using his size and reach advantage to the fullest.

 Jeff Horn. The official weigh in for Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Credit Pic: Peter Wallis Source:News Corp Australia

But Horn wasn’t alone in suffering punishment.

Defeated champion Manny Pacquiao also walked away masked in blood. He suffered two cuts as a result of accidental head clashes with the Australian.

At least Horn fronted the cameras, Pacquiao’s post-fight press conference was abandoned.

 

  Jeff Horn speaks to the media after winning the WBO World Welterweight title. Credit Photo:  Source:Getty Images
 

Horn isn’t the first to show how brutal the fight game can be.

Australian UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt was soundly beaten by current UFC champion Stipe Miocic when the two clashed in Adelaide back in May 2015.

Punch stats released post-fight showed that Miocic had landed a total of 361 punches to 46.

That was a new UFC record, beating the previous record for total strikes landed of UFC legend Royce Gracie (355).

Paige VanZant is another who has worn the scars of the fight game.

The UFC beauty was taken apart by “Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson in their fight.

VanZant showed tremendous heart against her more experienced opponent, but “12 gauge” Paige was picked off every time she rushed forward, before submitting to a brutal body lock.

Her face post-fight said the story. It was a fight she was never in.

It wasn’t the first time VanZant was left a bloody mess in the Octagon either. The UFC glamour girl was badly beaten by Rose Namajunas last December, a crushing defeat for a fighter on the rise.

Defeated champion Manny Pacquiao also walked away masked in blood. He suffered two cuts as a result of accidental head clashes with the Australian.

At least Horn fronted the cameras, Pacquiao’s post-fight press conference was abandoned. But unlike Paige VanZant and Mark Hunt, Horn walked away victorious — as the new WBO welterweight champion, meaning every drop of blood, bump and bruise was worth it. 

www.news.com.au/sport/boxing/jeff-horn-shows-the-scars-of-victory-after-manny-pacquiao-epic/news-story/44642de99773a5db5fba29fc29cc037e

 

By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former three-time world champion Jeff Fenech has advised WBO #1 Jeff Horn he can defeat WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao on July 2 if he uses the correct tactics at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland Australia with a predicted attendance of 55,000+ fight fans. Fenech talked to Grantlee Kieza of the Courier Mail.

“Just bash the bloke in close,” Fenech said. “It’s no more Mister Nice Guy now. I’m not saying break the rules but you have to rough Manny up. Jeff, do everything to hurt him in close. Twist him, twist his knees, use your weight advantage, bully him — bang your shoulder into him. Manny can punch at a distance, Jeff. Close the distance. Stay on his chest and make him feel all of his 38 years.”

Pacquiao-Horn has already eclipsed Fenech’s record for the biggest crowd ever in Australian boxing which had stood at 38,000 for the 1992 world title fight with Azumah Nelson at Princes Park in Melbourne.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/fenech-horn-can-defeat-pacquiao-uses-right-tactics-407426