By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing
Jeff Horn Sr., who is the father of WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn, talks to Fightnews.com® and says the WBO review board validated the scorecard of judge Waleska Roldan (117-111 for Horn) and also mentions that his son is currently in Las Vegas on holiday with his wife.
The 59-year-old elder Horn also sent an open letter to Fightnews.com® saying Manny Pacquiao should ponder dumping his corner team because of the risk of “self-sabotage” going into the rematch with his son slated for November in Australia.
“As the dust settles after the controversial but credible win by Jeff to snatch the WBO title from Manny Pacquiao, attention now turns to the potential rematch.
“To say that the lack of sportsmanship shown by Pacquiao since fight day has been disappointing would be an understatement. However, a look into the farcical and unprofessional performance of the Pacquiao team immediately prior to and during the Battle of Brisbane beggars belief.
“They should be one of the most professional boxing teams in the business but the performance of Pacquiao’s entire team during the fight has been well-documented, as has been the brain snap comments by Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach, Australian Justin Fortune that Pacquiao would have to ‘trip over going to the ring’ to lose this fight.
“Wow, really Justin? this from a team who ‘had their best training camp’ and had come prepared ‘never underestimating an opponent.’
“This, from the same training camp when team members and hangers on, in full view of Pacquiao during training, would hold up two or three fingers to the camera indicating the round that they predicted that Manny would finish Jeff Horn.
“Could this team possibly have sabotaged Horn’s camp any more effectively than the job they did on their own man?.
“What the public doesn’t know is that the Pacquiao team were coming apart well before the great man made his way to the ring.
“An hour out from the fight, Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach watched on during the wrapping of Jeff’s hands, taking issue with the color of tape used. The ‘super coach’ became completely unhinged when niggled on the issue, threatening to punch on there and then with one of Horn’s corner team.
“Was this an attempt to unsettle Horn or was the master coach becoming increasingly unnerved as the bell time neared?
“Indeed Coach Freddie’s next move was one of complete desperation as he tried to de-rail the Horn camp. Incredibly, leaving his charge just five minutes before walking to the ring, he visited the Horn dressing room with a WBO official in tow to challenge the Horn team’s use of prepared adrenaline.
“Ultimately, with the backing of officials, he forced Horn’s team to pour the important treatment down a change room sink.
“If not for the efficient and professional nature of Horn’s corner team, who had sufficient backup of the important blood coagulant, this fight would surely have been stopped early after Horn was cut by a Pacquiao headbutt in round three.
“So moving onto a rematch, one has to ponder this farcical backfire situation of what sabotage was carried out to who and by whom.
“Indeed Pacquiao may be wise to ponder his own potential for self-sabotage by bringing the same team together for battle number two against Jeff Horn.”