As egregious as the scores were, what was even more shocking was the deterioration of Pacquiao?s skills at age 38?
At some point in a boxer?s career, all of the things that once came easily begin to dissipate. The decline starts with the legs and the natural ring movement, and then is followed by the speed, accuracy and power. Ultimately, that once great fighter one remembers fondly has turned into a shell of himself. Last night, the great Manny Pacquiao was upset by unknown Australian Jeff Horn (17-0-1 11 KOs) by unanimous decision (117-111, 115-113 twice) to relinquish his WBO welterweight title in a fight that most ringsiders (including myself) believed he won.
As egregious as the scores were, what was even more shocking was the deterioration of Pacquiao?s skills at age 38. From the first couple rounds, Pacquiao (59-7-2 (38 KOs) allowed Horn, a former schoolteacher and Olympian, to dictate the pace of the fight. Reality suggests that Pacquiao no longer has a choice. If he fights Horn ten more times, the same pattern of an aggressive Horn moving forward, using his body to punish Pacquiao, and occasionally landing a clean punch, will continue. Although, most chalked up the accelerated pace that Horn established in the first round to nothing more than adrenaline, whenever slowed down, and Pacquiao, a fighter who relishes the lead role rather than the counterpuncher, had to adapt. In that role, with the exception of a few rounds, one would be hard-pressed to admit that Pacquiao fought an effective fight.
First, Horn was fast, furious, and used herky-jerky head movement to confuse Pacquiao. It was not alarming to see Horn rough up Pacquiao and land enough punches to win the first round, because the common perceptions were that A) The unknown Australian fighter couldn?t maintain this pace. B) It was just a matter of time before Pacquiao makes him pay for his mistakes. What Pacquiao?s corner miscalculated was Horn?s excellent conditioning and Pacquiao?s inefficiency. Inefficient in the sense that Pacquiao appeared aggressive, but punch stats prove that he was not himself.
Second, Pacquiao has never been an accurate puncher, but he has always put himself in position to land punches. On Saturday night, he was rarely in position to land power punches not only because of his age, but Horn was awkward to target (as he punched when he came inside) and difficult to hit cleanly. By the second round, Pacquiao?s level of discomfort was evident as frustration set in. One could see that anguish in his face, and revealed by his lack of movement?specifically, he wanted to get to places in the ring at a pace that was not realistic.
Boxing analysts Teddy Atlas and Timothy Bradley commented about Pacquiao?s ability to counterpunch, but did not clarify that Pacquiao has always taken the lead role. That approach was how people identified Pacquiao. By forcing Pacquiao to sit back and wait for openings, Horn took advantage of his own aggression and even?in what seemed like the most unlikeliest of scenarios?trapped Pacquiao against the ropes.
Lastly, even though Pacquiao, who now had to deal with blood streaming down his face from a headbutt, began to settle in and land his counter straight left and right hook in rounds 4-7, he never appeared in complete control until the ninth round. What a round it was, as critics have turned to it as the defining moment of the fight. I didn?t give Pacquiao a two-point round, but it is conceivable that as the vintage Pacquiao chased Horn around the ring and landed the first real combinations of the fight one could have scored it 10-8. Pacquiao fans were in their glory as the old Manny attacked with a huge left toward the end of the round that sent Horn reeling across the ring. However, the nostalgic moment only lasted 1:45 seconds as Pacquiao came out listless in the next round.
In fact, that listless tenth round proved to be a seminal moment because Horn showed Pacquiao that he could take anything punishment he doled out. More significant than giving away the tenth round was the acceptance that Pacquiao could not capitalize after what may have been the last great round of his glorious career. But it was not over as Pacquiao came back to land a big left in the eleventh and fought a winning round in the twelfth. By using effective 1-2 counters and an occasional jab in that final round, in my mind, Pacquiao secured his victory. The judges saw a different fight.
Gracious in defeat, Pacquiao talked about how he respected the judges? decision. Regarding his future, no fighter can fool himself. Deep down, Pacquiao understands the ramifications of this fight, and how he is slipping as a fighter, even if he won?t admit it. There are some opponents he can still beat, yet it is sad to watch him go down this path. Having given people so many great moments, Pacquiao will never be that same fighter again, and as he adapts, we are forced to accept him as he is as well. No one wants to see this deterioration, but just like Pacquiao accepted early on against Horn?we have no choice.
