THE SQUARED RING: TRENDING
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 02 Jul 2017
Unlike the result of his latest fight, the Manny Pacquiao of old would have easily demolished a relatively unknown but aggressive challenger in Jeff Horn. But gone is the Manny Pacquiao of old, and at six months before turning 39, what many thought was an easy fight -- turned out to be another devastating loss for the Filipino icon.
What is perceived as a mismatch turned into an entertaining fight between two fighters, despite the big difference in their resume, their stature and yes-- their age.
The aftermath of Pacquiao vs. Horn will once again place the method of judging under scrutiny. Boxing is a subjective sport minus a stoppage. And because of that it will never be perfect science but a 117-111 card in favor of a badly bruised Horn deserves an explanation to the millions who saw it otherwise.
This may be perceived as another black eye for boxing but there is no denying that Pacquiao vs. Horn once again brought boxing to the international spotlight.
This latest Pacquiao fight also gave many of us another reason to rant, to vent, to cry foul and scream in protest via our many social media accounts of what is perceived as another robbery in Pacquiao's great career-- the robbery Down Under.
The Battle of Brisbane was a trending topic in Twitter before, during and after the fight. Hashtags like #PacquiaHorn, #MannyPacquiao, #Brisbane #PacMan were in its Top 5 most discussed Sunday while Jeff Horn grabbed the top spot on Facebook.
Boxing being back on network TV is also a cause to celebrate for many fans who have been victims of lackluster and expensive Pay-Per-Views. Many will complain (and rightfully so) if this fight is once again offered via PPV given that Horn is unknown outside of Brisbane, but no one will protest if you put Pacquiao's name on regular cable, regardless of the opponent.
Boxing will never prosper when you charge consumers close to a hundred dollars and then not deliver. (Remember Mayweather-Pacquiao or Canelo-Chavez?)
ESPN delivered an entertaining fight, with a superstar name, a giant stadium as a venue, an international feel and yes, a dramatic ending to its viewers worldwide.
Lastly, despite pronouncements that 'Boxing is Dead' -- the 51,052 who trooped to the SunCorp Stadium on a Sunday afternoon thought the opposite.
Pacquiao vs. Horn is the second biggest attended boxing fight of 2017, next to the 90,000 who watched the heavyweight match between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium last April.
It also is now Pacquiao's most attended bout, topping his two previous outings at the massive Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito in 2010.
A blockbuster attendance, an entertaining and dramatic boxing fight on regular TV, a trending topic on social media and a script for a possible rematch -- That's a score in my book.
Now, if we can only fix judging.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com and @Freemason910 on Twitter.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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