Horn defends getting the decision win vs Pacquiao

BRISBANE, Australia — Jeff Horn believes he did just enough to walk away with the unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao on Sunday to become the new WBO welterweight king.

The 29-year-old Horn said his aggressiveness paid a key role in getting the nod of the three judges, who scored to fight in his favor, 117-111 and 115-113 (twice).

"I thought I was coming forward more and landing the cleaner blows. That's just my opinion," the Brisbane native was quoted by ESPN, which aired the fight live and for free in the US, as saying.

The punch statistics, however, tell a different story. According to CompuBox, Pacquiao out landed Horn by nearly twice the number of punches the Australian landed on the Filipino icon, 182-92.

Horn’s visibly marked face, which included a badly swollen right eye, is also an indication that Pacquiao got the better of his gutsy challenger during their 12-round affair.

But Horn insists he won fair and square, even though he thinks a knockout was his best chance of bagging the fight.

"I thought I managed to get the decision but it was close. I thought it would be more of a knockout if I was going to win this fight," he added.

The fight nearly slipped away from Horn in the ninth round, when Pacquiao pummeled him and almost had him out of his feet. But the former school teacher is a tough nut to crack and managed to live through the final bell.

"I don't know. I guess with the crowd behind me and all the support," said Horn.

"I've just believed since I was young that I could do this. There's lots of thoughts going through (my mind)."