Pacquiao wins in stats, but loses on scorecards

Pacquiao raises his arms after the grueling 12-round slugfest. Abac Cordero

BRISBANE, Australia – Manny Pacquiao may have lost his WBO welterweight title fight to Jeff Horn in the eyes of the judges at the Suncorp on Sunday, but the numbers tell a different story.

According to CompuBox, which tallies punches in boxing fights, Pacquiao was the more accurate hitter, landing 182 of the 573 total punches he threw for a connect rate of 32 percent.

While Horn was the busier fighter, he was less effective, with only 92 of his 625 punches finding their mark for a 15 percent rate.

That translates to Pacquiao hitting Horn with twice the number of punches the Australian landed on the Filipino icon during their 12-round duel.

Pacquiao was likewise the better jabber, with 59 of 193 jabs landing (31 percent), while Horn connected on only 19 of 197 (10 percent).

In the power punching department, Pacquiao again bested Horn, going 123-of-380 for a 32 percent rate. The Australian, for his part, landed only 73 of 438 power blows.

The discrepancy in punches definitely showed on Horn’s battle-scarred face.

But it did not matter as Pacquiao failed to get the nod of the three judges, who awarded the fight to Horn, 117-111, and 115-113 (twice).

For Horn, that’s all that matters, and the former school teacher – now world champion – stayed unbeaten with his 17th win in 18 fights (11 KOs, with 1 draw).

Pacquiao, for his part, can live with the result.

“That’s the decision of the judges, I respect that,” he said in the ring after their fight. – Dino Maragay/Philstar.com

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