Should Pacquiao still strive for a knockout?

AP

Veteran promoter Bob Arum claims that Manny Pacquiao, raring to go, has provided his preferred dates for the rematch against WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn of Australia.

This was all to be expected, and the rematch could be held later in the year, when the Philippine Senate will be in recess.

Possible venues mentioned included Melbourne and Sydney.

There were other details that should be clarified. For example, there has been no word on Hall-of-Fame trainer Freddie Roach, who had made himself scarce after Pacquiao was upset by Horn in Brisbane last July 2.

Did Roach and Pacquiao have a pleasant parting of ways after the Battle of Brisbane?

Post-fight eyewitness accounts had pictured a gloomy and tense dugout scene, with Pacquiao fervently attending to his hairdo, while Roach was left to stare around.

There are things that must be cleared now. For the record, Roach had allowed Pacquiao only one last fight—the Horn rematch—after the controversial bloody upset of July 2.

Several pundits, this early, would also like to know if Roach would still stick to his original order for Pacquiao to push for a knockout against the bigger, younger Horn.

Pacquiao came very close to either downing or stopping Horn in the ninth round of the encounter in Brisbane.

Observers were one in saying that Horn’s toughness, after he survived a monster onslaught by the ferocious Pacquiao, was almost miraculous.

Either Horn had proved bigger than life, or wholly tough and too courageous.

Or was it a case of Pacquiao realizing right there and then he had lost his original power, if not his killer instinct? He was observed going faintly through the motions [of striking hard] in the final minute of the 12th round, which he clearly lost.

Still, there was the prevailing post-fight punch audit which showed Pacquiao could’ve clearly claimed a unanimous verdict if he had just fought normally well, and not allowed himself to be limited to throwing punches mainly to the head.

For one, there was Nonito Donaire who would later say that Pacquiao should’ve been made to go for the body, noting that Horn had been through a horrible weight reducing regimen on the eve of the championship.

There was another thing that should be made clear: Who between Pacquiao and Roach faulted?

Did Roach suffer a blackout, after failing to order an attack to the [very] open body in the middle rounds?

Shouldn’t Pacquiao refuse to be operated like a rusty knockout robot—and instead fight his normal good fight—next time around?