Filipinos stunned by Pacquiao loss in Australia

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s Jeff Horn stunned Filipino Manny Pacquiao in a bloody Brisbane battle to claim a unanimous 12-round decision and win the WBO world welterweight title in front of 50,000 fans at Lang Park on Sunday.

The unheralded 29-year-old former schoolteacher, who improved his record to 17-0-1, was awarded the win over the eight-division world champion by scores of 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113.

Pacquiao, one of the finest boxers of his generation, paid the price for a slow start and his inability to end the fight with a knockout. The 38-year-old was knocked off his stride by the aggression of the taller and heavier Australian in the early rounds, but looked to have weathered the storm as the fight wore on and Horn tired.

Horn, who was cut above his right eye in round two, said he had been exhausted and rattled by the Filipino’s punches.

The bout ended with the fighters in a clinch on the ropes and although Pacquiao gave a little shuffle and a grin to show he had plenty left in the tank, his fate was in the hands of the judges.

“Very tough. I didn’t expect that tough,” said Pacquiao, whose record now reads 59-7-2. “It’s okay, it’s part of the game. That’s the decision of the judges, I respect that.”

The loss stunned people in the Philippines, where Pacquiao, now a high-profile senator, has long been a national hero.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman, Ernesto Abella, said the loss “would not diminish the honors he bestowed to the people and to the flag.”