After being on the receiving end of tremendous criticism in the wake of the greatest triumph of his boxing career, Australian star Jeff Horn told the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday that he is game for another bout with Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.
Horn beat Pacquiao in the Battle of Brisbane last July, claiming the WBO welterweight title in the process.
Yet his victory was derided, as most analysts believed that Pacquiao won the fight. A panel later reviewed the bout and declared Horn’s win as legitimate, but most boxing fans remained unconvinced.
According to Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum, the “Pacman” is keen on a rematch, although details remain vague due in part to Pacquiao’s packed schedule as a senator in the Philippines. Nevertheless, Horn is keeping himself ready.
“I’m happy for a rematch, especially after all the flak I received before the second scoring came out,” Horn told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Now it’s out, and I still receive people saying I didn’t win.”
The “second scoring” that Horn refers to comes from a panel of five judges brought together by the World Boxing Organization. The panel, much like the three judges at ringside in Brisbane, had Horn winning the fight against Pacquiao.
Seeing as the WBO panel failed to convince his critics, Horn said he will simply have to beat Pacquiao again to settle their doubts.
“I’m willing to prove it again and beat him for the second time,” said Horn, a former London Olympian who got into boxing as a way to fight back against bullies.
“I’m still proving a point,” he stressed. “I’ve got to make sure I train just as hard. I never say I want a knockout, but it’s always easier if the fight ends before the 12th round.”
Horn did not come close to knocking out Pacquiao when they fought – indeed, he was the one at the risk of being stopped by the Filipino – but his unrelenting pressure and size advantage clearly bothered the “Pacman.”
The Australian also proved to be exceedingly durable. After finding himself in great trouble in the ninth round, to the point where the referee warned that he was thinking of stopping the fight, Horn dug deep and finished strong in the last three rounds.
Still, Horn believes he has plenty to show in a rematch. “I can improve a lot more from where I have been in the past,” he said.
“I think I did well in the last fight,” Horn added. “I’ll do better the second time.”
“I’ve done it before – I know what I have to do to try hard and do it again. I know I can push through to more levels.”
A Pacquiao-Horn rematch, if it happens, will likely take place in Australia once more. Although Horn and his camp favor the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, there are also available venues in Melbourne and Sydney.
