Raw revenge

Manny Pacquiao, right, of the Philippines and Jeff Horn of Australia fight during their WBO World welterweight title bout in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, July 2, 2017. Pacquiao lost his WBO welterweight world title to Horn in a stunning, unanimous points decision in the Sunday afternoon bout billed as the Battle of Brisbane in front of more than 50,000 people. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)

It’s quite alarming that Manny Pacquiao has been rewarded with a rematch in a bid to get back at Jeff Horn, who had captured in brutal and bloody fashion the WBO world welterweight crown last week.

It will be raw revenge and Pacquiao, slower and prone to cuts and punishment, fights on.

This time, though, his handlers would do well to listen very closely to what Horn trainer Glenn Rushton has been saying. Rushton said Horn will beat Pacquiao loud and clear in the projected rematch of the Battle of Brisbane.

Unlike the first time when Rushton tried to picture what Horn would do to Pacquiao, the rich Australian trainer, a self-made millionaire, no longer bothered to elaborate.

Early on, before the sales push for the Battle of Brisbane hit its stride, both Horn and his trainer were treated like fools, a big joke, by Pacquiao people.

There was a scathing insult when Pacquiao chief adviser Mike Koncz blurted out that they would travel to Brisbane for the July 2 championship, why not, but only to say hello to the fans and greet the media. The way Koncz put it, they would climb the championship ring but only to pinch Horn’s nose, say hi, then head home, ho, ho, ho.

For his part, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach said Horn would be no better than a tune-up for Pacquiao.

Anyway, finally given the floor, Rushton announced that Horn would get Pacquiao with a surprise weapon anchored on “broken rhythm pressure.”

Explained Rushton: “Pacquiao will get a shock when Horn starts hitting him from angles he hasn’t seen before. Jeff throws punches from everywhere. He can throw right hand leads as jabs, can turn southpaw quickly to throw foes off. Pressure techniques upset opponents’ rhythm.”

Team Pacquiao did not listen.

It took less than 12 rounds on July 2 for everybody to understand what Rushton was talking about. Right off the first bell, Horn stopped behaving like a robot. He was slower, yes, but clearly big, firm, strong and deliberate. Tough as nails, too.

Ruled as loser by unanimous decision, Team Pacquiao, led by Roach, cried foul. Pacquiao himself said he had been set up.

It was indeed a hazy final ending, with promoter Bob Arum saying it could have gone either way.

Pacquiao was a runaway winner in the computerized count, where statistics showed he landed nearly twice as many as the shots scored by Horn.

But, as noted by this reporter, Pacquiao also allowed himself to be pressed, savaged, outclassed and outfought—if not outpointed. He was on the cringing end of a bold, boisterous assault which Horn also laced with some dirt.

What would also transpire in social media was a vicious word war, initiated by wildly protesting devotees from Pacland.

Anyway, Pacquiao would later accept defeat. He also admitted Horn was tough, very, very tough.

Roach, who wanted Pacquiao to hang up his gloves, relented and said he would allow Pacquiao one last bout—and that would be it.

Meanwhile, the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) wrote the WBO to conduct a review. It was granted but the WBO said there would be no reversal of the final decision as there was no fraud or violation involved in the championship.

International matchmaker Jun Sarreal said the GAB should instead require Pacquiao to undergo a complete medical check to determine his fitness to continue fighting.

Said sportsman Tony Aldeguer: “As a boxing purist who admires the iconic accomplishments of Pacquiao, I would give him the same advice as what his wife and his mother gave: Retire. But for boxing fans, many would still want Manny to seek a rematch to avenge Filipino pride.”

He has nothing more to prove, said a top sports medicine expert, and Pacquiao should no longer be involved in hard top-caliber bouts as this would unduly endanger his life and health.

For the 38-year-old Pacquiao, his defeat against Horn could also be a case of “too many punches, in too many rings, in too many nights.”

Of course, if there’s one man who badly needs a rematch, it’s none other than Freddie Roach. He was soundly beaten in the contest of trainers, with Rushton outwitting him in practically all aspects and angles.

The rematch of trainers gives Roach a chance to get back from the floor and recover from the shame dealt him by an obscure, worthless robotic fighter who knows no surrender.