Horn shocks Pacquiao, runs away with WBO welterweight title
Aussie challenger Jeff Horn (left) and defending champion Manny Pacquiao during the "Battle of Brisbane" WBO welterweight title bout in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday. Horn defeated Pacquiao via unanimous decision. Top Rank Boxing
BRISBANE, Australia — Jeff Horn vowed to shock the world. And he did exactly that on Sunday.
Horn bullied Manny Pacquiao around and survived the Filipino icon's attacks in the later rounds to dethrone him and become the new WBO welterweight champion in a thrilling fight before a packed crowd at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.
Horn won with scores of 117-111, 115-113 (twice) over Pacquiao, who ended up with cuts in the head thanks to the challenger’s rough style.
Philstar.com scored the fight 115-113 for the fighting senator, whose best moments came at the latter part of the bout.
Official and unofficial statistics of Sunday's welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn. Graphics by Jonathan Asuncion
Pacquiao said he felt he did enough to win the decision.
“I didn't expect that. But it's part of the game. I respect that,” said Pacquiao.
Horn, a heavy underdog, charted his path to the unexpected win by starting strong in the early rounds, often forcing Pacquiao to the ropes and pummeling him there.
A cut opened up on Pacquiao’s head in the sixth round due to an accidental clash of heads, which worsened in the later rounds.
But Pacquiao picked up the pace after that, culminating in an excellent ninth round wherein he dominated Horn with huge shots. The Brisbane native appeared to have punched himself out and was ripe for the picking.
Pacquiao, again, couldn’t finish his foe off, and ended up with another fight lasting the distance. But this time, the decision did not go his way.
Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, left, and Jeff Horn of Australia fight during their WBO World welterweight title fight in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, July 2, 2017. AP/Tertius Pickard
It was the seventh loss of Pacquiao’s career against 59 wins (with 38 KOs)
Horn, for his part, kept his perfect record intact 17-0-1 (with 11 KOs).
ALSO READ: Punch stats: Pacquiao landed more blows
REVIEW: Live blog of the Battle of Brisbane—Pacquiao versus Horn
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