HORN'S WIN OVER PACQUIAO IS THE FORBES.COM'S BOXING UPSET OF THE YEAR
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 07 Jan 2018
Jeff Horn's victory over Manny Pacquiao is 2017 Boxing Upset Of The Year by Forbes.com as told by Peter Kahn. On April 17 he wrote why he felt Pacquiao shouldn't underestimate Jeff Horn. Kahn said he was one of the few people writing about the impending fight that had actually seen Horn fight in person. He saw Horn fought former three-time two-division world champion and knockout king Randall Bailey in Brisbane where the Australian "Hornet" dominated Bailey until he chose not to answer the bell at the beginning of round eight.
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The Forbes.com writer declared that, "It's one thing to watch a fighter on TV and it's another to watch him up close and feel the toll that his rugged style of fighting can take on the man in front of him during the course of a fight," wrote Kahn. "It was that fight that had me believing that Horn has a shot if he were to fight the perfect fight. With that being said, Jeff Horn defeated Manny Pacquiao via a unanimous 12 round decision on July 2 in Brisbane, Australia," he added.
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It was a highly controversial decision, but Kahn contended that it's completely irrelevant. It was one for the books that "Horn defeated the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing and 11-time world champion." Horn entered into the fight as a heavy betting underdog at +500 (bet $100 to win $500) and fought his heart out. "From the opening bell to the end of the fight, Horn kept coming forward and kept throwing punches. More importantly, he was landing. He survived a scare in the ninth round and bounced back during the championship rounds to claim his first world title," continued Kahn.
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When asked about his proposed fight with Terence Crawford next, Horn said, "Money talks, a lot, if that can be agreed on I'm happy to come to the U.S., I always thought of going there and fighting, especially in Vegas and picturing myself there for quite a while now, so I have no problem going to the U.S. and fighting." There are so many remarkable fights to pick in 2017, but according to Kahn, "Many saw Horn's win over a legend such as Pacquiao as the top upset of the year."
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Forbes boxing contributor Brian Mazique agreed as he stated, "The network, the style, the location and the fame of the opponent all played a role in my vote. Jeff Horn's nationally-televised, gutsy, bullying and slightly controversial victory over a legend like Manny Pacquiao had to be the biggest upset. The fact that it took place in a country like Australia that backs its homegrown fighters so vigorously only added to the atmosphere. Pacquiao is indeed a shell of who he once was, but almost no one expected Horn to be as competitive, let alone to emerge with the win."
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Kahn has another wild guess for this year as Horn defends his WBO welterweight title against former light welterweight undisputed king Crawford. "Who knows, maybe a Horn victory over Crawford could be 2018 upset of the year. One thing is for sure. When it comes to Jeff Horn, everything is possible."
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One month before he makes his US debut in Texas, Jerwin Ancajas, the reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) superflyweight titlist, has a hard time finding a good video of his Mexican opponent Israel Gonzalez. ?I have been looking for his fights on YouTube but all I saw was a training session while he was doing the punch mitts and a little sparring session,? Ancajas told Nick Giongco of Manila Bulletin.
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He found one video of one fight of Gonzalez against Maurico Fuentes of Colombia on YouTube but it was not properly shot as it was shaky and probably taken from the audience. Ancajas has two weeks to solve the dilemma before he flies to Los Angeles on January 25 for his February 3 title defense at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
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Ancajas for the mean time observed the video of Gonzalez practicing with the punch mitts. ?From what I saw, he perfectly throw his punches and that means he is well-taught,? said Ancajas. ?We?ll try to reach out and get a video of Gonzalez because you have to know how your rival fights. That?s important,? added Ancajas, one of the two remaining Filipino world champions, the other being Donnie Nietes.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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