Manny Pacquiao speaks to the media in Brisbane, Tuesday, June 27, 2017. Pacquiao, is putting his WBO belt on the line Sunday, July 2, against the 29-year-old Australian fighter Jeff Horn. (AP Photo/John Pye)
It’s no secret that Jeff Horn had made at least a couple of kissing visits to the canvas in previous fights. The great thing about the unbeaten Australian hope is that he always got up to hit back, punish and conquer his opponent.
On Thursday, Horn, 29, got a piece of bitter advice: If you get knocked down, stay there. That was from Justin Fortune, Manny Pacquiao’s conditioning coach. Fortune warned Horn that it could be the end of him if he continued to fight, because he would surely be blasted and crushed.
There’s the likelihood that Horn, with his stiff neck and poor balance, could get clipped and hurt inside four rounds. But Horn would definitely spring back and fight. Damn it, heeding Fortune’s advice would be equal to dying on bended knees, an unforgivable disgrace.
Truth is Pacquiao has gotten orders for a knockout well ahead of his July 2 WBO welterweight title defense against Horn.
On the other hand, Horn said he’s certain of winning, and would take out Pacquiao between the 7th and 11th rounds.
It’s quite a marketing feat how the “Battle of Brisbane,” which took off limply and was tagged early as a budding mismatch, got this far and is, in fact, the most awaited boxing bout for the weekend.
Pacquiao was reported having a hard time gaining his ideal weight for the 147-pound championship.
Horn was however reported still 7 lb over the limit two days before the scheduled weigh-in.
Meanwhile, Horn remained an awful underdog as he moved anxiously toward the moment of truth.
While objective pundits and spectators feel it would need a freak accident, like Pacquiao suddenly growing old during the fight, for Horn to triumph, a miracle could not be discounted.
No, Horn’s challenge cannot be likened to the one mounted by Muhammad Ali when he gallantly went for the world heavyweight crown of mighty George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle of 1974 in Zaire.
Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, Ali dug deep into his godly bag of tricks to topple a lost and bewildered Foreman in the 8th round, thus solidifying his claim to being The Greatest. That magnificent feat could easily go down as the greatest prizefight masterpiece of our time.
There’s hardly a masterful, Ali-like facet in Jeff Horn’s arsenal, but if he happens to turn the table on Pacquiao, the feat should readily go down as the Upset of the Century.
Whether by decision or stoppage, a conquest of Pacquiao should also be hailed a monumental prizefight masterpiece.