Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn met in the ‘Battle of Brisbane’ at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia on July 2. The fight was as hyped as any bout that Pacquiao is involved in. Almost everyone in the boxing universe believed that it will be a walk in the park for Pac-Man. He is technically superior to Horn and he hits with more strength.
But the result of the fight proved otherwise.
After 12 rounds, with 51,052 people watching, Jeff Horn was declared the winner.
That did not sit well with anyone, including Pacquiao.
Immediate Calls for Review
After the fight, Manny Pacquiao made some comments about the referees and the judges, nothing to suggest that he didn’t accept the result.
However, fans all over the world didn’t take kindly to the tactics used by Jeff Horn and many believed that Pacquiao was robbed. Some even went as far as to say that he was set up, citing the reason that it was Jeff Horn’s home country and he may have been presented with some ‘home cooking’.
Calls for a review rang out all over the world.
It was made official when the Philippine Games and Amusement Board wrote a formal letter to the WBO to review the expressing concerns over “the possible errors of the referee and the three judges who officiated the subject fight”.
Questionable Tactics
Jeff Horn is being accused of using MMA style tactics during the fight, like head-butts; which incidentally is illegal in the MMA.
The referee seemed to have not done enough or warned horn for such moves.
Pacquiao Agrees
Now, Manny Pacquiao has stated that he has a “moral obligation to uphold sportsmanship, truth, and fairness” and he is requesting the WBO to honor the request made by the Philippine authorities.
There are many that are supporting his claim.
There are also those who are of the opinion that this was Pacquiao’s swan song and that he should retire. Basing the result of the fight for their conclusion.
We will have to wait and see what the WBO decides.
Let us know how you think this fight was a foul play and how this will affect Pacquiao’s career in the comments. Click here to know what happened in the fight.
