IBO Boxing Honesty and Integrity
Manny Pacquiao defeated Jeff Horn by unanimous decision yesterday in Brisbane, Australia, though the three judges awarded the “decision” to the hometown Aussie.
Pacquiao looked superb at 38, far better than previous welterweight legends Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Ray Robinson, Oscar De La Hoya. Pacquiao still has the form and fitness and the desire to fight, which is amazing.
The differences in Pacquiao are subtle but evident. He can no longer unleash his jaw-dropping eight to ten punch combinations – he must resort to one or two punch assaults and on rare occasion maybe a third punch. And as we saw in round nine, Pacquiao still can’t finish off a wounded opponent.
Pacquiao, who has not knocked out an opponent for seven years (Miguel Cotto), went for the kill in round nine and threw dozens of bombs at the staggering and survival-minded Aussie. But each one seemed to sail just slightly off the intended target. The punches were speedy and well thrown but they just did not connect. It vaguely resembled Klitschko failing to finish off Joshua.
Credit to Horn for surviving the vicious assault. But any astute ring observer knows that the Pacquiao of 2009-2011 would have knocked Horn out cold. Or worse.
Still it was an excellent performance from the still fearless Filipino legend. It was yet another masterpiece, just like so many if not all of his performances which never fail to deliver action, drama, violence and intrigue. One has to be in awe of Pacquiao and how he can still deliver these first class performances at welterweight at age 38 against bigger, stronger opposition when he is really in actuality a nutritionally blown up lightweight.
We will never see anything like Pacquiao again. To be able to draw over 50,000 against a no-name at age 38 is an accomplishment beyond anything Ali, Tyson, Robinson, Duran, Armstrong, Hopkins, Jones could do.
I’m not sure if historians or fans or media truly understand or appreciate just what a marvel Manny Pacquiao has been for boxing. His sabotaged ring record does not tell the full story. Surface records never do.
Manny Pacquiao is the greatest warrior champion the sport has ever witnessed. Even when he gets robbed blind, he still accepts the hideous injustice with class and respect. A protected fraud like Mayweather whines and cries like a spoiled brat if the fans boo his boring performance or the media doesn’t treat him like the greatest boxer of all time. Imagine if Floyd got robbed just once like Pacquiao. Well. that would never happen because Al Haymon would never let it happen.
Manny Pacquiao is too good for this filthy business called boxing. In a junkyard of pollution, corruption and decay, Manny Pacquiao is your single solitary red rose of class amidst the rubbish.
Thank God Manny Pacquiao showed boxing how it’s supposed to be done. Who knows where this sport would be without his example and inspiration.
Yes the greedy monsters decided to rob the champion and steal some of his shine to give to the no name kid who fought the fight of his life and deserves a lot of credit.
But let’s get one thing damned straight. Manny Pacquiao is still the champion. He won last night by unanimous decision. And despite the endless greed, corruption, injustice and filth that is the essence of boxing’s dark side, Manny Pacquiao somehow managed to single-handedly make boxing great again.
No matter what any pundit or shill or pinhead will tell you this morning, how they try to justify Horn earning the decision, Manny Pacquiao is the real champion of the world, he always will be too. Because boxing belts are just political toys. – Scoop Malinowski
