Jeff Horn’s Controversial Win Over Manny Pacquiao Will Not Ruin Boxing

Last night, Jeff Horn stunned Manny Pacquiao and the rest of the boxing world to capture the WBO welterweight championship. The fight was held in Brisbane, Australia and the 29-year old former Olympian and schoolteacher was a four to one underdog despite fighting in his hometown. To just about everyone who watched and scored the fight at home, Pacquiao won the fight by landing more than double the punches to Horn according to CompuBox. However, the three judges who scored the fight saw things differently, and they gave Horn the win on all three scorecards. The Australian challenger was the aggressor throughout the fight, and a headbutt which opened up a nasty cut on Pacquiao’s head, could have influenced the judges’ scoring.

Judge Waleska Roldan (New York) scored it 117-111, while Chris Flores (Arizona) and Ramon Cerdan (Argentina) had it 115-113. The Pacquiao camp was so shocked by Roldan’s scorecard, that they demanded an investigation following the bout and even wondered if it was fixed. Over the last ten years, Roldan has scored over 500 bouts, including numerous world title fights. Most of her scorecards have been without controversy, but she had Pacquiao losing every round except the third, eighth, and ninth.

Teddy Atlas, who was part of the ESPN announce team seated at ringside was so incensed by the decision that he told ESPN’s SportsCenter after the fight that something was not right.

Although some people worry that the Horn upset will destroy boxing, the sport has dealt with bad decisions over the years and it has not led to a decline in ratings or fan interest. Two upcoming fights will dominate the boxing world. The first will be on August 26th when UFC superstar Connor McGregor challenges Floyd Mayweather at T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite the fact that most people see this as a one-sided affair that Mayweather will dominate, plenty of curious fans will easily cough up the $100 Showtime Pay-Per-View price tag to see if McGregor has the magic knockout punch to deliver.

Then on September 16th, Canelo Alvarez will meet Genedy Golovkin for the undisputed middleweight championship on HBO Pay Per View. This megafight is truly the boxing event of the year, and many fans have been waiting for this rivalry to settle in the ring for the last few years. GGG is the most feared boxer in the sport, with an undefeated record in 37 bouts including 33 knockouts. Meanwhile, Alvarez has won his last seven fights, including a unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Chavez in May. Unlike Mayweather and McGregor, these two boxers will most likely deliver an action-packed show, with a knockout finish highly likely.