Jeff Horn gave an insight into why he recently retired from boxing but still believes he defeated Manny Pacquiao in a 2017 abomination.
The Australian lost to Pacquiao courtesy of a beatdown at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The result was clear as day, with most people with eyes, apart from the three judges at ringside.
But years later, despite nothing changing from several rewatches, Horn refuses to admit he was either very lucky or something untoward was going down.
Horn stepped away from the sport citing the Pacquiao’ win’ as his greatest achievement. However, without any acknowledgment of the robbery, Horn’s victory is a hollow one at best.
Manny Pacquiao beat Jeff Horn senselessly
Manny Pacquiao beat him senselessly for much of the fight and had Horn’s blood all over his body during the sickening punishment.
Even as he waved goodbye to the sport citing memory issues, Horn still couldn’t bring himself to admit his biggest triumph in boxing was handed to him on a plate in an injustice.
“I could have taken $1 million for another fight [against Michael Zerafa], but my health is more important than wealth,” Horn told Courier Mail down under. “To be honest, I’ve had my concerns.
“I’ve had some issues with my memory. I’ve had some tests done on my brain. I was told that if I kept going, there was a high potential risk of things worsening and my brain suffering more.
“I need to protect myself because I want to be able to remember my children’s names and the big moments in their lives. You can’t do that when you are punch-drunk.”
Memory loss
The 35-year-old added that doctors made it an easy decision to walk away.
“I’ve had a couple of tests over the years. They said they had some concerns that if I kept going, there would be more worries for me, making it a no-brainer to retire.
“The results showed I am below average for memory recall for a normal person my age.
“I can’t remember things that someone my age should retain. There is no training you can do to make my brain better. Once it’s damaged, there’s no going back.
“My wife Jo says I have always been useless with my memory [forgetting the Pacquiao loss etc.]. It’s frustrating. I forget things all the time. I wouldn’t say I like it.
“Every parent knows the love for their children and the feeling you get from seeing their achievements.
“As a parent, you live for that. You do everything in your power to love your kids and guide them. It’s important to have that quality of life.”
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of experienced boxing writer Phil Jay. Twitter @PhilJWBN.
