Horn poses a challenge to Pacquiao — analysts
THE “Battle of Brisbane” featuring Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao and Australian Jeff Horn and happening this weekend may have its fair share of doubters as a boxing offering and not generated as much hype and attention as the other fights of “Pacman,” but for some fight sports analysts it has the potential to be every bit competitive for the challenge the hometown bet can pose.
Taking place on Sunday at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Pacquiao vs. Horn will be for the WBO welterweight championship which the multi-titled Filipino boxing great currently holds.
Many pundits and observers have Mr. Pacquiao taking the scheduled 12- rounder but for analysts interviewed by BusinessWorld, while they believe the Filipino has a lot going for him they are not discounting the capabilities of Mr. Horn.
“I was actually excited for Manny fighting Amir Khan, which was the direction they were going initially. When that fight fell through, they pushed through with Pacquiao- Horn. Like [many], I wasn’t too excited about it… Not much is known about Horn, which says a lot. But you know, Manny is up there in age. Every fight of his from this point is like a test to see how much he has left to offer. In his last fight, Manny showed he still had it in terms of dealing with a young guy like Jesse Vargas. Jeff Horn poses the same sort of challenge,” said fight sports analyst Carlos Cinco.
“When the fight was announced, I was not as surprised as everyone. I have refereed Jeff Horn before and I knew he was at the top of the world rankings so I knew he had the chance to land this Pacquiao superfight. It’s fight week and actually I’m excited to watch the fight. It’s because when a great fighter is in his late 30s, you would always wonder if he is over the hill and is due for a beat down from a hungry young prospect coming up the ladder. This thought makes me excited to watch this fight,” international boxing referee and fight analyst Danrex Tapdasan, for his part, said.
Both analysts see the Battle of Brisbane as having a lot riding for the boxing career of 29-yearold Horn than Mr. Pacquiao, 38, making the former all the more dangerous.
“It’s a fight wherein Horn could gain more… If he wins then he could be the next boxing superstar especially from a boxing country like Australia. But if he loses, fighting Pacquiao still does him good as he may still get high-profile fights especially if he makes the Pacquiao fight competitive… On the other end, if Pacquiao loses this fight, I think it’s the end of the road for him and he should concentrate on his political career,” Mr. Tapdasan said.
For Mr. Cinco, Mr. Horn’s hunger and desire to prove himself are key variables in the fight.
“I think it really depends on what kind of Manny Pacquiao shows up. It’s easy to say that Pacquiao will win this one hands down, because he owns all the advantages in experience, and skill. But Horn is young and determined, and sometimes that can be a pretty dangerous thing. If he is tough enough, Horn can give Pacquiao a pretty good workout here,” he said.
Mr. Cinco went on to say that he sees the fight going the full distance.
“Expect the fight to go the full 12 rounds. I don’t think we will ever see Manny Pacquiao knock another fighter out for the rest of his career. The relentlessness is gone, and that’s what he used to stop guys in the past with… Today he is more boxer than he is a puncher,” the analyst said.
He also shared some “mustdos” for the protagonists if they are to claim the victory.
“For Pacquiao to win, he has to be able to sustain a certain level of activity each round. The speed should still be there, although somewhat decreased and easier to handle for Horn. Pacquiao should continue to do what he does best and fight in angles, looking to catch an unsuspecting Horn with something he won’t see coming. Just like in the Vargas fight, he has to stifle Horn with his unique, off-pace rhythm,” he said of Mr. Pacquiao.
“For Horn, he has to fight smart and not put himself in precarious situations. However, that being said, Horn has to strike first at all times. He has to be the busier fighter and take the fight right to Pacquiao. Since his biggest advantage is his age and youth, he has to make Pacquiao look old. This can be done by attacking him relentlessly and forcing him to dance around the ring more than he anticipated. At 38 years old, Pacquiao is definitely on his last legs. There’s no denying that now, whether he wins this fight or he loses,” he added.
With what “Battle of Brisbane” is presenting, Mr. Tapdasan said fans should be prepared for a surprisingly solid fight.
“I think it will be a great fight. It will be more competitive than most people think… I see a backand-forth battle in the first half of the fight and the better fighter dominating starting in the seventh round,” he said.
Mr. Cinco, meanwhile, said that while Mr. Horn is a capable opponent, at the end of the day, the Battle of Brisbane is really more about Mr. Pacquiao.
“It really depends on how much Pacquiao has left. He has shown an incredible ability to turn back the hands of time and remind everyone of the power and speed he once possessed. However, it now comes on a fight- to- fight basis. With each fight, the question as to how much Pacquiao has left to offer always comes up. And that’s really what it all comes down to. If Pacquiao can show fans that he is still very much the fighter he once was, then it’s going to be an easy night for him. Other than that, it could get ugly,” he said.