Raw Revenge: Pacquiao-Horn 2; also a rematch of their trainers
By Recah Trinidad
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 09 Jul 2017
IT?S quite alarming that Manny Pacquiao has been rewarded with a rematch in a bid to get back at Jeff Horn, who captured in brutal and bloody fashion the WBO world welterweight crown last week.
It will be raw revenge and Pacquiao, slower and prone to cuts and punishment, fights on.
This time though, his handlers would do well to listen very closely to what Horn?s trainer Glenn Rushton has been saying.
Rushton said Horn will beat Pacquiao loud and clear in the projected rematch of the Battle of Brisbane. Unlike the first time that Ruston tried to picture what Horn would be doing to Pacquiao, the rich Australian trainer, a self-made millionaire, no longer bothered to elaborate.
Early on, before the sales push for of the Battle of Brisbane hit its stride, both Horn and his trainer were treated like fools, a big joke, by Pacquiao people. There was a scathing insult when Pacquiao chief adviser Mike Koncz blurted that they would travel to Brisbane for the July 2 championship, why not, but only to say hello to the fans and greet the media. The way Koncz put it, they would climb the championship ring but only to pinch Horn?s nose, say hi, then head home, ho, ho, ho.
For his part, Hall-of-Fame trainer Freddie Roach had said Horn would be no better than a tune-up (for Pacquiao).
**
Anyway, finally given the floor, Rushton announced that Horn would get Pacquiao with a surprise weapon anchored on ?broken rhythm pressure.?
Explained Rushton: ?Pacquiao will get a shock when Horn starts hitting him from angles he hasn?t seen before. Jeff throws punches from everywhere. He can throw right hand leads as jabs, can turn southpaw quickly to throw foes off. Pressure techniques upset opponents? rhythm.?
Team Pacquiao did not listen.
It took less than 12 rounds on July 2 for everybody to understand what Rushton was talking about.
Right off the first bell, Horn stopped behaving like a robot. He was slower, yes, but clearly big, firm, strong and deliberate. Tough as nails, too.
Ruled as loser by unanimous decision, Team Pacquiao, led Roach cried foul. Pacquiao himself said he had been set-up.
It was indeed a hazy final ending, with promoter Bob Arum saying it could?ve gone either day.
Pacquiao was a run-away winner in the computerized count, where statistics showed he landed nearly twice as many as the shots scored by Horn.
But, as noted by this reporter, Pacquiao also allowed himself to be pressed, savaged, outclassed and outfought?if not out-pointed. He was on the cringing end of a bold, boisterous assault which Horn also laced with some dirt.
What would also transpire in social media was a vicious word-war, believed to be initiated by wildly protesting devotees from Pacland.
Anyway, beaten, Pacquiao would later accept defeat. He also admitted Horn was tough, very, very tough.
Roach, who wanted Pacquiao to hang up his gloves, relented and said he would allow Pacquiao one last bout--and that would be it.
Meanwhile, the Games and Amusements Board had written the WBO to conduct a review. It was granted but the WBO said there would be no reversal of the final decision as no fraud or violation was involved in the championship.
International matchmaker Jun Sarreal said the GAB should instead require for a complete medical check to determine Pacquiao?s fitness to continue fighting.
Said sporstman Tony Aldeguer: ? As a boxing purist who admires the iconic accomplishments of Pacquiao, I would give him the same advice as what his wife and his mother gave: RETIRE. But for boxing fans, many would still want Manny to seek a rematch to avenge Filipino pride.?
He has nothing more to prove, said a top sports medicine expert, and Pacquiao should not be involved in hard top-caliber bouts, as this would unduly endanger his life and health.
For the 38-year-old Pacquiao, his defeat against Horn could also be a case of ?too many punches, in too many rings, in too many nights.?
Of course, if there?s one man who badly needs a rematch, it?s none other than Freddie Roach. He was soundly beaten in the contest of trainers, with Rushton outwitting him in practically all aspects and angles.
The rematch of trainers gives Roach a chance to get back from the floor and recover from the shame dealt him by an obscure, insignificant fighter who knows no surrender.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Recah Trinidad.
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