As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach said he might try to convince Manny Pacquiao to hang up the gloves after the Filipino great's controversial loss to Australian newcomer Jeff Horn.
"I'm going to talk to Manny about maybe calling it a day, maybe this is it," Roach told reporters. "It depends what I see when I analyze the fight again."
The three judges scored the fight the fight 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 – all in favor of Horn, the Australian fighter facing off in his hometown of Brisbane before more than 50,000 people.
Pacquiao landed nearly twice as many punches as Horn, 182 to 92 and had a percentage twice as high as his opponent, 31.8 percent to 14.7 percent. Pacquiao also outpunched Horn in 11 out of 12 rounds. However, Roach also said that Pacquiao, 38, isn't as strong a fighter as he used to be and before the fight against Horn, expressed worry that his star fighter's career might be near the end. There is an immediate rematch clause, which Pacquiao can exercise at any time. Pacquiao's longtime promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, believes the boxer's workload as a senator in the Philippines - combined with his age - has affected his ability to perform in the ring. Arum believes this is not even the 2016 version of Pacquiao, who last year dominated Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas for twelve round decision wins. “First, I have to find out if Manny wants to continue fighting,” said Arum to the Los Angeles Times. “There were some troubling signs. I said sitting there ringside, ‘This is not the Manny Pacquiao that we had even a year ago.’ You can’t be a senator and fight part-time. And he’s getting older, not younger.” If Pacquiao does exercise his right to a rematch, it will likely take place in the fall. According to Arum, there is already a bidding frenzy starting to bloom, especially in Australia, to pick up the second fight. “The states in Australia are already beginning to bid crazy numbers to have this fight in November-December. The interest is sky-high," Arum said.
2023-10-18 21:49:33
