Manny Pacquiao has suffered eight losses in his pro career, but a huge upset might be the most controversial one.
Watching Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson set Pacquiao on a path that would lead to incredible success in the boxing ring.
Similar to ‘Iron Mike’, ‘PacMan’ has produced some iconic highs throughout his career, along with some disappointing setbacks from time to time.
Pacquiao, who is still targeting another return to the ring, was the victim of scorecards that were heavily scrutinized after he was matched with a relatively unknown fighter.
- LATEST NEWS: The Rock details moment he realized Oleksandr Usyk is a ‘bad dude’ as he continues to tease MMA fight
Jeff Horn pulled off a huge upset against Manny Pacquiao which was highly controversial
After Manny Pacquiao bounced back from his loss to Floyd Mayweather with a pair of wins in 2016, he was targeting another big matchup.
He changed direction from the opponent that he was initially being lined up for after his fans voted that Amir Khan should be his next target in a poll.
When this bout fell apart during the negotiations, Pacquiao and his team turned back to the other opponent that was put forward, Jeff Horn.
The 16-0-1 Australian was far from a major name, having only stepped back from his job as a physical education teacher shortly before the bout came together.
Horn, who reportedly earned $500,000 for the bout compared to the guarantee of at least $10 million that his opponent pocketed, shockingly went on to beat Pacquiao in July of 2017.
Fans and the media were incredibly critical of the new WBO welterweight champion’s win, with the fight taking place in Australia being a notable talking point.
Despite the likes of Teddy Atlas, among many others, clearly scoring the fight for Pacquiao, the WBO’s rescoring of the bout still had Horn winning by seven rounds to five.
- BOXING THROWBACK: Manny Pacquiao’s KO win over boxing legend was so big it stopped crime in Manila for several hours
Jeff Horn lost his title to Terence Crawford the following year before retiring in 2023
While a rematch was lined up, Manny Pacquiao pulled out of his September 2017 rematch with Jeff Horn due to commitments in his home country of the Philippines.
Horn, on the other hand, went on to successfully defend the title once in Australia before losing it the following year to Terence Crawford.
After this TKO loss, the Australian only competed four more times before announcing his retirement in 2023 due to other commitments that he wanted to dedicate himself to.
Horn, in some ways, went back to his previous profession by becoming a national ambassador for an anti-bullying charity, where he speaks to teachers and students while drawing from his own experiences that initially led him to boxing.