Sydney, July 2 : Australian boxer Jeff Horn has stunned the sporting world on Sunday, defeating world champion Manny Pacquiao for the WBO World Welterweight Championship at Suncorp Stadium here.
Billed as the "Battle of Brisbane", local fighter Horn was very aggressive in the early rounds, using his reach and size advantage to pressure the Filipino champion, reports Xinhua news agency.
A gruelling brawl at times, both fighters were cut during the fight, but as the match went on, the masterful skill of Manny Pacquiao became more predominant as the southpaw began to find his range against the taller opponent.
In the ninth round, Horn appeared fatigued and the fight was in danger of being stopped, but the home crowd of 50,000 fans rallied behind the Aussie, to see him finish the stronger of the two.
Judges scored the 12-round contest 117-111, 115-113, 115-113, for a unanimous decision victory to Jeff Horn. He is now the new Welterweight champion of the World Boxing Organisation (WBO).
