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Will Kambosos Jr. Deliver A Shocker Down Under? Ask Jeff Horn
The IBF lightweight title fight between Vasiliy Lomachenko and the home nation’s favorite, George Kambosos Jr. on Sunday afternoon in Perth, Australia, on Sunday afternoon is hours away after a successful weigh-in.
Lomachenko of Ukraine (17-3, 11 KOs) will make a last run toward his goal of being an undisputed champion. He weighed in at 134.9 pounds.
Vasiliy Lomachenko is among the current generation's finest boxing talents. Does he still have enough at age 36? Photo: Top Rank Boxing
Kambosos Jr. (21-2, 10 KOs) hopes to make himself relevant again after two losses in his last three fights. He weighed in at 134.2 pounds.
George Kambosos Jr. needs to reverse the slide since his upset win over Teofimo Lopez Jr. Photo: Sumio Yamada
Lomachenko, perhaps the best amateur boxer ever and widely admired for his high-level skills in the ring, is the wide favorite to defeat Kambosos Jr., according to oddsmakers.
But here’s where we suggest you also consider Jeff Horn.
Jeff Horn Delivers Upset Against Manny Pacquiao
It was a shocking result at the time. Jeff Horn won a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao in Brisbane, Australia, in 2017. Can George Kambosos Jr. repeat history? Photo: Top Rank Boxing
On July 1, 2017, in a result few expected and few agreed with, Australian Jeff Horn thrilled his hometown fans in Brisbane’s sold-out Suncorp Stadium with a 12-round unanimous decision victory over the legendary eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao.
American judge Chris Flores and Argentina judge Ramon Cerdan scored it 115-113, and American judge Walesa Roldan saw it 117-111. Unanimous. Not even a split or majority decision. What were they thinking? Horn offered his thoughts at the time.
“I guess it’s the crowd behind me and all the support,” said Horn after his win, thanking his team, family, and everyone who believed in him.
A subdued Pacquiao called Horn tough, and said of the scores, “It’s part of the game. That’s the decision of the judges. I respect that … I don’t know, I’m professional. I respect the judges.”
Thanks to the Top Rank YouTube channel, you can watch the fight for yourself.
Upset Minded Horn = Upset Minded Kambosos Jr.?
Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs) showed he wasn’t intimidated by Pacquiao (56-7, 38 KOs), coming out aggressively from the opening bell. Due to Horn’s awkward, rough style, Pacquiao had trouble getting his bearings. Horn was the visibly bigger man in the ring, and he used that size like a bull against a matador.
The same description could describe the offensively aggressive Kambosos Jr. and the nimble-footed Lomachenko, who mimicked being a matador once in a beatdown of Miguel Marriaga, also in 2017 – a fight I covered ringside.
Pacquiao was far from his prime but still the highest-ranked welterweight in the world at the time. He looked like a 38-year-old version of himself. In contrast, the 29-year-old Horn was all over the ring. He was the busier fighter but showed his lack of boxing skills with wild punches that missed the mark.
Lomachenko will be 36 years old tonight, and Kambosos Jr. will be 30. Although Lomachenko has only fought 22 more pro rounds than Kambosos Jr., bear in mind that Loma had an extensive amateur career, including two Olympic gold medals.
Horn and Pacquiao delivered an action fight, frequently trading shots against the ropes or the center of the ring. Pacquiao tried his best to set traps for Horn to lean in so he could land counterpunches, but it wasn’t working. At times, he showed glimpses of the old PacMan, but his footwork was off, and his punching power seemed diminished. Nevertheless, Pacquiao landed more punches.
By the eighth round, the Aussie fans began to believe the upset was possible. They roared throughout the fight for “The Hornet.” Whether Pacquiao heard those cheers or not, he stepped on the gas in the ninth round and found the target several times, hurting Horn with multiple right hands. Horn appeared hurt, and Pacquiao swarmed Horn.
Jeff Horn was nearly out of the fight in the corner, but begged for one more round. Photo: Top Rank Boxing
Horn survived to the bell, and while in his corner, referee Mark Nelson came to talk to Horn and his corner, saying “I’m here to protect you, I think you’ve had enough.” Horn and his team begged for one more round. Nelson gave them the chance, saying to Horn, “You got to show me something.”
Horn said after the fight, “I felt fine in that corner, I wanted to keep going on, I wasn’t really that hurt I was just a little buzzed.”
“I didn’t expect his toughness, I mean I tried to knock him out in the ninth round, but he survived,” said Pacquiao. “The ninth round, I thought I was going to win the fight.” Pacquiao admitted the cuts on his head and the blood affected him “a lot.”
Horn mustered everything he had left. Pacquiao was tired after his effort, and it allowed Horn to survive. With two rounds left, it would come down to which man wanted it more. Horn won the tenth round, Pacquiao the 11th round. In the final round, both fighters wanted to leave a statement for the judges to remember, trading against the ropes and in the center of the ring.
“I thought I was outpointing him, I thought I was coming forward and landing the cleaner blows,” said Horn.
Horn Win Still Hotly Debated
When it counted most, Jeff Horn dug down deep to get his signature upset win. Photo: Top Rank Boxing
CompuBox stats, while not perfect, show something different from what the judges saw. Manny Pacquiao landed 182 of 573 punches thrown (32%); Horn just 92 of 625 punches (15%). Pacquiao landed 59 of 163 jabs (31%); Horn just 19 of 197 jabs (10 %). Pacquiao landed 123 or 380 power punches (32%), and Horn barely half of this, 73 of 428 punches (17%).
At the time, Horn said he could hardly believe the win. “There’s lots of thoughts coming through … This is a win for all you guys out there being bullied. Look, I thought it would be a lot harder to get the decision. I thought I would need a knockout to win this fight.”
Pacquiao said he would invoke a rematch clause, but it never happened. Instead, he moved on to destroy Lucas Matthysse and regain his footing. Horn had six more fights, including losses to Terence Crawford and Tim Tsyzu in his final fight in 2020 by eighth-round TKO. Horn was badly behind on the scorecards at the time.
Maxi Hughes controlled the fight against George Kambosos Jr, and the Shawnee, Oklahoma, knew it, but Kambosos Jr. still won. Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
But in 2017, Horn fought like a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain, and in the end, it won him the fight. Yes, with help from the judges, but Horn made it a plausible outcome.
George Kambosos Jr. also received help from the judges in his fight last July against Maxi Hughes, a fight most believed he'd lost.
Horn also benefitted from exceeding all expectations. Everyone saw the heart and the refusal to go quietly. Horn believed in himself, and he made believers out of many people. Pacquiao looked his age, and he struggled. A prime Pacquiao would have beat Horn, but it’s impossible to turn back the clock.
Still think Lomachenko will roll to a victory using his superior skills and experience? It remains the most likely outcome, and the oddsmakers agree. But I’ll be watching this bout tonight on ESPN (also on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+) starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with interest and more than a little nostalgia.
I wonder where Jeff Horn will be watching tonight?
