'Pacquiao vs Horn Rematch' Is 'Pretty Much There,' Says Top Rank's Bob Arum
Probably one of the biggest and most upsetting boxing fights of 2017 happened when Aussie fighter Jeff Horn stood face-to-face against Manny Pacquiao and won via judges' decision.
The July 2 boxing match between Jeff Horn and Manny Pacquiao was a hard-fought fight, and in the end, the former stood victorious in a highly controversial decision. Horn won via unanimous decision with a score of 117-111, 115-113, 115-113, which had truly upset boxing fans all over the world who felt that Pacquiao had done enough to retain his Welterweight title. And, as soon as the match ended, news of a rematch quickly began to stir and now it looks like a "Pacquiao vs Horn 2" is finally going to happen.
According to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, both Pacquiao and Horn "are pretty much there" in closing a deal for a rematch, and if it does happen soon, it will occur at the same country where Horn won, Australia.
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Arum asked @WorldBoxingOrg to submit judges names to "be fully vetted by both sides." Says he wants all neutral judges for the rematch.
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixYS) August 16, 2017
But there is a catch to this rematch as revealed by Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix. In a Twitter post, he revealed that Bob Arum is requesting neutral judges for the fight. Last July's fight sparked fury across the world particularly in the U.S. In fact, commentator Teddy Atlas himself admitted that he could not move on from the fight and that Pacquiao should have won.
"They gave a win, a huge win, to the local kid for trying hard," says Atlas. "You're not supposed to get it for trying hard. You're supposed to get it for winning and I thought Pacquiao won the fight if you go by the real rules of who lands the cleaner punches."
Atlas even told Horn directly that Pacquiao should have won. Now, with neutral judges, Pacquiao's camp would surely be appeased, and the only thing to decide about is the venue that will host the rematch.
The rematch is expected to occur sometime in November.
