Home Boxing News Jeff Horn reflects on Manny Pacquiao win ahead of Tim Tszyu bout

Jeff Horn reflects on Manny Pacquiao win ahead of Tim Tszyu bout

Jeff Horn
Manny Pacquiao lost his last fight against Jeff Horn, seen here.

Jeff Horn 20-2-1 (13) has reflected on his career-defining win over Manny Pacquiao 62-7-2 (39) in Brisbane three years ago.

The 32-year-old Australian is deep in preparation for his big domestic matchup against Tim Tszyu 15-0 (11) at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville on August 26. The fight will take place over 10 rounds at junior middleweight.

Horn believes his big fight experience, like his WBO welterweight title winning fight against Pacquiao in front of more than 50,000 fans, will give him the edge over the 25-year-old Tszyu.

“Manny Pacquiao was a superstar – he was the whole way through during our preparations,” Horn told Peter Maniatis on the KO Boxing Show.

“Meeting him in the flesh and seeing him, that he is just normal. Just looking at him there was nothing special about him as you do with anyone else. It’s like – I can beat this guy. If I move the way I move and be unpredictable and I know that’s how Pacquiao fights as well. I am bigger than this guy and I can use that against him – I can win this fight. I just had full trust in my ability at that stage.

“Manny seemed very blasé (when he was at press conferences) in Australia,” Horn continued. “I thought very highly of Pacquiao in boxing for a long time. He was one of my idols.

“Pacquiao was extraordinary to watch. His demeanour around the sport. He seemed like a really nice guy but he could fight like a little monster. I wanted to be like that. To fight him and try and beat him – that was gold.

“I was a bit frustrated (at press conferences) The way Manny was on his phone and out of it and not interested. It gave me the feeling he was that confident he didn’t really care. He really didn’t know who he was fighting.

“’They have picked a guy from Australia for me, I will knock him over very quickly.’ That’s a good $10 million in his pocket and see you later. And I thought to myself ‘I am going to make this extremely difficult for you’. I wasn’t going down without a fight.

“I didn’t get any congratulations from Manny after the 2017 fight – I might have got a pat on the back. He was saying to me ‘break’ at the start of the fight. I automatically went back the first time. I thought he doesn’t like me doing that so maybe I should keep clinching because I don’t have to listen to him. I only have to listen to the referee.

“I would have been keen on a rematch. I would have to get the offer to consider it. There was never an offer for a rematch with Manny in the Philippines or anywhere.

“I was worried that after I beat Manny that (people would say) he has had it and that Manny was done – you got him at the right time but he has won the world title and beat some decent guys (Lucas Matthysse, Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman). I am very happy and proud of Manny and proud of myself because I did beat Pacquiao.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise for Horn was dealing with the instant fame that came with the win.

“I remember the paparazzi coming to my house,” he said. “I said ‘what are you doing?’. The photographer said I want you to do something natural like putting out your garbage bins. I actually did that for him and it wasn’t even bin day.”