Pacquiao had rocked Horn, bloodied him and nearly stopped him in a violently one-sided ninth round. But then the judges’ scorecards were read, and Pacquiao was the victim of a hugely controversial decision, as Horn was awarded a stunning unanimous decision — a hometown decision, many will call it — before 51,052 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Australia).
Judge Waleska Roldan had it 117-111, and judges Chris Flores and Ramon Cerdan both had it 115-113 for Horn. ESPN.com scored the fight 117-111 for Pacquiao, and ESPN ringside analyst Teddy Atlas had it 116-111 for Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, the Filipino legend and boxing’s only eight-division world champion, has been here before, losing a split decision and a welterweight world title to Timothy Bradley Jr. in 2012 in one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history. Like he was after that loss — which he avenged twice — Pacquiao was gracious after his bout with Horn.
“That’s the decision of the judges. I respect that,” Pacquiao said.
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame trainer, also took the high road.
“I have to go along with Manny and say I respect the decision of the judges,” Roach said. “Well, two of the judges [who had it 115-113]. I did think Manny won, but Jeff Horn showed a lot of heart. He is a big, strong fighter, and I congratulate him.”
Pacquiao, 38, holds the contractual right to a rematch, and he said he would exercise it.
“Absolutely, yes,” Pacquiao said of fighting Horn again in Australia. “We have a rematch clause, so no problem.”
The fight, which aired live on ESPN, was Pacquiao’s first non-pay-per-view bout since 2005 and was supposed to be a showcase. That Horn was still standing at the end of the tough fight was a surprise, but Pacquiao looked to be the clear winner — until his belt was handed to Horn, a 29-year-old former Olympian and former school teacher with a very thin ring résumé.