'God Is Good,' Proclaims Manny Pacquiao Despite Losing Boxing Title to Jeff Horn in Shocking Upset
Despite getting stunned by a devastating upset loss to an unheralded challenger, Manny Pacquiao remains thankful to God for everything, saying, "God is good" after getting dethroned by Australian Jeff Horn over the weekend.
The 38-year-old Christian fighter and lawmaker from the Philippines posted a picture of himself smiling together with his wife Jinkee on Instagram just a day after the July 2 "The Battle of Brisbane."
He captioned the photo: "Tough fight but win or lose, always know that I give everything I've got for the Lord, my family, my country and my fans! Thank you for your support and congratulations to Jeff Horn. God is good! #TeamPacquiao."
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Horn, a 29-year-old former schoolteacher, beat the legendary eight-time world champion Pacquiao on points, instantly becoming Australia's greatest boxer in history.
It was Pacquiao's first defeat after losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015.
Although he felt he won the fight, having landed more solid blows on the Australian fighter, Pacquiao said he had to respect the judges' decision.
"I didn't expect (he would be) that tough," the Filipino fighter said. "That's the decision of the judges, I respect that."
Pacquiao expects to see Horn back in the ring later this year for a rematch. "We have a rematch clause," he told reporters.
Despite Pacquiao's gracious acceptance of his defeat, other athletes and celebrities reacted negatively to Horn's controversial victory on social media, claiming that Pacquiao was robbed of victory.
For instance, former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis tweeted: "This is what's wrong with boxing. Horn was very game but I'm hard pressed to see how he could have won that fight by any stretch!"
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said it was a "close fight. It could have gone either way."
Horn rejected claims that he did not deserve to win. He nonetheless praised Pacquiao as an "absolute warrior."
"Manny Pacquiao is...a legend of the sport," he said. "He might have come underdone in this fight, I don't know. I guess if we have a rematch and he put his all in, he might come in better, I don't know."
