Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Columns

Five Post Fight Thoughts from Pacquiao vs. Horn

Five Post Fight Thoughts from Pacquiao vs. Horn
By: William Holmes

A legend in the sport of boxing lost to a man that nobody thought he would lose to on Saturday in Brisbane, Australia.

Manny Pacquiao is a sure fire first ballot hall of famer and is an eight division world champion. Since 2005 almost all of his fights were made available exclusively on Pay Per View. However, many were stunned to see Jeff Horn be named the victor and were left in disbelief. Many, including the announcers on ESPN, strongly felt that Manny was robbed and clearly won the fight.

IMG_4110

Is this the end of Pacquiao’s career? What does this mean going forward?

Here are five post fight thoughts from the Pacquiao vs. Horn fight.

1. Pacquiao Was Not Robbed

This may come as a shock to some, but Pacquiao was not robbed. I’m not saying he didn’t win the fight, but you can’t argue with the judges who felt Horn won the fight. Pacquiao didn’t dominate any round with the exception of the ninth, and many, many, rounds were “swing” rounds and could have been scored either way.

Fans have to remember that crowd reaction affects judges and this fight took place in Horn’s home country. Most of the fans in attendance were rooting for their fellow Australian and were reacting positively to every punch that Jeff Horn threw. Yes, judges are supposed to be able to block out the sound and view a fight objectively, but that’s easier said than done and no judge is completely immune to the vocal support that surrounds him.

Fans also have to realize that viewing a fight live is much different than viewing a fight on TV. When you’re watching a fight on TV you can be swayed by the commentary of the announce team and you have a much better view/angle on the action inside the ring than those who are watching the fight in person. Ring side judges do not have the advantage of wide camera angle and often their views are obstructed by the ropes, ring, competitors, and the referee.

Additionally, Jeff Horn pressed the action and was able to dominate the exchanges when they were in tight or when Pacquiao’s back was against the rope. Ring Generalship and effective aggression are two criteria that judges use to judge a fight, and it was clear that Horn was dictating the pace to Pacquiao and never stopped coming forward.

Again, I’m not saying Pacquiao didn’t win the fight, I’m merely stating he wasn’t robbed.

2. CompuBox Stats Are Overrated

Many upset boxing fans point to the CompuBox statistics as evidence that Pacquiao was robbed. They note that Horn only landed 15% of his punches and that Pacquiao landed almost 100 more punches.

However, fight fans have to understand that CompuBox punch totals are done by a person sitting ringside keeping a manual tally. There is nothing scientific or reliable about CompuBox, at best it is an estimation. CompuBox also doesn’t take into consideration the visible effects of the punches landed.

As a general rule punches are more noticeable when a bigger man lands against a smaller man, and Jeff Horn was clearly the bigger man. When his punches landed they visibly moved Pacquiao and many of Pacquiao’s punches were not noticeable to the untrained eye.

3. More Big Fights Need to Happen Outside of Las Vegas

As a fight city, Las Vegas is overrated.

Yes, it’s the gambling capital of the world and very few locations can compete with the purse sizes that Las Vegas provides. But, if you’ve ever gone to a fight in Las Vegas you’d know that most of the fans who attend a big fight in Las Vegas are more concerned with the glitz, glam and celebrity that Las Vegas provides instead of the action in the ring.

I’ve been to Vegas several times for big fights, and a good 95% of the fans in attendance do not show up until a few minutes before the main event starts. Most of the fans at a Las Vegas fight do not know the difference between a jab and a cross and are more concerned with looking good at a big event.

The Pacquiao Horn fight was held in an outdoor stadium in Australia and came across great on television. 50,000+ fans were in attendance, a number that currently can not be reached in Las Vegas. The excitement and anticipation of a fight comes off much better in a big stadium when compared to Las Vegas, and makes it more attractive to the casual sports fan.

The Klitschko vs. Joshua fight was held at Wembley Stadium and was one of the best fights of the year. The crowd was unbelievable and that fight also looked great on television.

The most entertaining fight that this writer ever attended live was when Pacquiao fought Margarito at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium. The venue was a big reason as to why that fight was so entertaining.

Granted, there will still be fight fans who only show up for the main event if a good boxing card were to be held outside of Las Vegas, but the overall experience is much better when it’s held in a stadium.

4. Pacquiao Needs to Drop Down in Weight

Ever since Pacquiao made the jump to the junior welterweight division and higher he has been the smaller man inside the ring. His walk around weight is near the welterweight limit and he often has to fight someone who has cut 10-20 pounds to make the welterweight limit.

When Pacquiao was in his prime his movement and endurance was good enough to run circles around his opponent so that they couldn’t catch him. He’s no longer in his prime and Jeff Horn was able to capitalize on his size advantage and trap Manny on the ropes with effective body work. If Jeff Horn was able to trap Pacquiao imagine what some of the other top welterweights could do to him.

Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr., Kell Brook, Shawn Porter, and even Lucas Matthysse are all opponents that are bigger than Pacquiao and would probably inflict more damage on him than what Horn did on Saturday.

Even though the current version of Pacquiao would still be competitive with most of the welterweights ranked in the top ten, he is risking serious damage to his body and health if he continues to campaign against bigger and stronger opponents when he is pushing 40.

5. An Aged Version of Pacquiao is Still Entertaining

Should Pacquiao retire? That’s a tough question but at the very least it should be discussed amongst him and his team.

But one thing that we learned on Saturday night is that even the faded and aged version of Manny Pacquiao is still exciting in the ring. His fight with Jeff Horn dominated social media and ESPN and has been the talk of the sports world for the past two days.

Fight fans were on the edge of their seat the entire fight and the ninth round was one of the most thrilling rounds of the year.

The ratings support the entertainment value of Pacquiao. ESPN recently released a press release indicating that the fight delivered a 2.4 overnight rating and was the highest rated fight for a cable network this decade. The release also indicated that the Battle of Brisbane was likely to be the highest-rated fight on ESPN’s networks since the mid 1990s.

The current version of Manny Pacquiao may have difficulty reclaiming a world title in the welterweight division, but he still draws eyes to the TV.

48 Comments

48 Comments

  1. Robertober

    10/29/2024 at 1:24 pm

    india online pharmacy: top 10 pharmacies in india – top 10 pharmacies in india

  2. Thomasanext

    10/29/2024 at 4:56 pm

    п»їlegitimate online pharmacies india: best india pharmacy – buy prescription drugs from india

  3. HarryPogma

    10/30/2024 at 6:58 am

    Пин Ап Казино Официальный Сайт [url=http://biznes-fabrika.kz/#]Пин Ап Казахстан[/url] пины

  4. Jasonkit

    10/30/2024 at 7:56 am

    Пин Ап Казино Официальный Сайт в России: pinco – Официальный Сайт

  5. Michaelovack

    10/30/2024 at 10:57 am

  6. DerekMalty

    10/30/2024 at 5:36 pm

    http://pinup-az.bid/# pin-up
    pin up zerkalo

  7. Jasonkit

    10/30/2024 at 5:41 pm

    пин ап 634: pin up kz – Пин Ап Казино Официальный Сайт

  8. HarryPogma

    10/30/2024 at 9:08 pm

    пин ап казино онлайн [url=https://biznes-fabrika.kz/#]пины[/url] pin up kz

  9. Michaelovack

    10/31/2024 at 12:10 am

  10. Jefferynof

    10/31/2024 at 2:36 am

    pinco: Официальный Сайт – Официальный Сайт

  11. Jasonkit

    10/31/2024 at 3:14 am

    пин ап кз: пинап казино – пины

  12. HarryPogma

    10/31/2024 at 11:20 am

    sweet bonanza [url=https://sweetbonanzatr.pro/#]sweet bonanza[/url] sweet bonanza nas?l oynan?r

  13. Jasonkit

    10/31/2024 at 1:05 pm

    pinup az: pinup – pin up 306

  14. Jefferynof

    10/31/2024 at 2:25 pm

    пин ап казино: Пин Ап Казино Официальный Сайт – Пин Ап Казино Официальный Сайт

  15. Jasonkit

    10/31/2024 at 8:41 pm

    пинап: Пин Ап Казино Официальный Сайт – пин ап казино онлайн

  16. HarryPogma

    10/31/2024 at 10:45 pm

    пинап [url=http://biznes-fabrika.kz/#]пины[/url] пин ап 634

  17. Michaelovack

    11/01/2024 at 12:14 am

    https://pinup-az.bid/# pin up casino

  18. Jasonkit

    11/01/2024 at 4:39 am

    pinup az: pin up 306 – pinup az

  19. DerekMalty

    11/01/2024 at 6:24 am

    https://sweetbonanzatr.pro/# sweetbonanzatr.pro
    pinup bet and casino

  20. RussellBlole

    11/03/2024 at 3:32 am

    http://gabapentin1st.pro/# gabapentin best price

  21. TommyBunty

    11/03/2024 at 7:22 am

    Urgent Specialists: rybelsus price – Rybelsus

  22. RamonScene

    11/03/2024 at 8:23 am

    http://stromectol1st.store/# stromectol best price

  23. RussellBlole

    11/03/2024 at 2:00 pm

  24. TommyBunty

    11/03/2024 at 4:51 pm

    amoxil 1st shop: amoxil 1st shop – amoxil online

  25. RussellBlole

    11/03/2024 at 11:52 pm

    https://semaglutide.ink/# Urgent Specialists

  26. RobertReirl

    11/04/2024 at 2:51 am

    paxlovid price: paxlovid1st – Visit store

  27. droversointeru

    11/04/2024 at 11:41 am

    great put up, very informative. I’m wondering why the opposite experts of this sector don’t realize this. You must proceed your writing. I’m confident, you have a huge readers’ base already!

  28. Brandonedush

    11/05/2024 at 3:21 am

    best online pharmacy india: Best online Indian pharmacy – pharmacy website india

  29. JorgeWes

    11/05/2024 at 4:44 am

    india pharmacy: indian pharmacy purchase online – online pharmacy india

  30. JorgeWes

    11/05/2024 at 3:16 pm

    india online pharmacy: Best online Indian pharmacy – reputable indian pharmacies

  31. DevonRoste

    11/05/2024 at 7:15 pm

    https://pharm24.pro/# cheap erectile dysfunction pills online
    canadian drugs online

  32. JorgeWes

    11/06/2024 at 1:21 am

    mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa: mexican drugs – pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa

  33. JorgeWes

    11/06/2024 at 10:51 am

    reputable mexican pharmacies online: mexico pharmacy cheap – mexico pharmacies prescription drugs

  34. WilliamTit

    11/06/2024 at 12:28 pm

    natural remedies for ed problems http://pharm24.pro/# ed devices

  35. DevonRoste

    11/06/2024 at 2:26 pm

    http://indianpharm24.pro/# buy prescription drugs from india
    best way to treat ed

  36. JorgeWes

    11/06/2024 at 9:35 pm

    ed treatment pills: low cost prescription – online ed pills

  37. Leroyaddek

    11/06/2024 at 10:05 pm

    mexican mail order pharmacies [url=http://mexicanpharm24.cheap/#]mexico pharmacy cheap[/url] medicine in mexico pharmacies

  38. Brandonedush

    11/06/2024 at 10:07 pm

    natural cure for ed: affordable medication – buy prescription drugs online without

  39. WilliamTit

    11/06/2024 at 11:03 pm

    comfortis without vet prescription http://indianpharm24.pro/# indian pharmacy paypal

  40. JorgeWes

    11/07/2024 at 8:30 am

    pharmacies in mexico that ship to usa: mexico pharmacy cheap – mexican drugstore online

  41. WilliamTit

    11/07/2024 at 9:08 am

    prescription drugs http://indianpharm24.pro/# Online medicine home delivery

  42. JorgeWes

    11/07/2024 at 6:29 pm

    viagra without a prescription: low cost pharmacy – ed drugs

  43. WilliamTit

    11/07/2024 at 6:35 pm

    cheap erectile dysfunction http://pharm24.pro/# ed cure

  44. Brandonedush

    11/08/2024 at 3:01 am

    medicine in mexico pharmacies: mexican pharm 24 – buying prescription drugs in mexico online

  45. WilliamTit

    11/08/2024 at 4:56 am

    ed pills otc http://indianpharm24.pro/# top 10 pharmacies in india

  46. Larryeroro

    11/08/2024 at 12:09 pm

    deneme bonusu veren siteler [url=http://denemebonusuverensiteler.top/#]deneme bonusu veren siteler 2024[/url] deneme bonusu veren yeni siteler

  47. ClydeBat

    11/08/2024 at 2:16 pm

    en kazancl? slot oyunlar?: en cok kazand?ran slot oyunlar? – slot oyunlar? puf noktalar?

  48. Derekmeect

    11/08/2024 at 3:39 pm

    Casino Siteleri: casino siteleri win – Casino Siteleri

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Featured 2

By: Sean Crose People can laugh all they want, but the truth is UFC star Conor McGregor technically IS a professional boxer. He lost...

Featured 2

By: Sean Crose “Keep going,” the man said to a gym full of bright young students. “Stay locked in.” The man then added another,...

Featured 2

By: Sean Crose Rising star Keyshawn Davis is oozing confidence. Speaking to Sky Sports News the 11-0 Virginian was asked if he’s prepared to face...