Philippine Showbiz Today Vol 12 No 13 | Page 24

24 Philippine Showbiz Today SPORTS July 8 - 21, 2017 Pacquiao re-thinks of retirement after defeat EIGHT-TIME world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has said he will “think hard” about retiring after his stunning and controversial defeat to unheralded Australian challenger Jeff Horn. Arriving home in the Philippines a day after losing his World Boxing Organization welterweight title in a major upset in Brisbane on Sunday, the 38-year-old Pacquiao said he was thinking about hanging up his gloves for good. “I am also considering the opinion of people, the opinion of my family and my body,” Pacquiao told ABS-CBN television on Monday night when asked about retirement. “I plan to relax first and recover from the pains in my body and then after that, when I have already relaxed, that’s when I will think hard about it.” Immediately after the fight, Pacquiao had said he wanted a rematch with Horn. Pacquiao’s wife, Jinkee, and his trainer, Freddie Roach, had said they would advise him to quit boxing after a phenomenal 22-year professional career in which he won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions Pacquiao briefly retired from boxing last year to pursue his long- held political ambitions and was elected senator. But he quickly made a successful comeback against Jessie Vargas in November, saying he still felt like a youngster. The 29-year-old Horn’s ultra- aggressive style proved too much for Pacquiao, with the three judges scoring the fight 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 to the Australian after 12 rounds. On Monday, Pacquiao made disparaging comments about his opponent. “He’s not really good but he’s really strong,” Pacquiao said of Horn, as he questioned the decisions of American referee Mark Nelson. “There is no problem with the style of Jeff Horn if he plays dirty, because there is a referee,” Pacquiao said. “The problem here is that the referee, I don’t know if he did it deliberately or he just did not have experience, he just allowed it and did not even give any warning for how many times. It’s as if the referee wanted to help my opponent.” (Manila Standard/AFP) ● What did the ref tell Horn after he got tagged by Pacquiao in 9th round? Unknown to many, the fight was on the verge of being stopped in favor of Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao. Bleeding profusely from cuts high above both eyes caused by accidental head clashes, Pacquiao launched a savage counter-attack against Australian Jeff Horn in the ninth round of their World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight BROADCAST giant ABS-CBN will serve as official broadcast partner of the AVC Asian Senior Women’s Championship from Aug 9 to 17. Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. acting president Peter Cayco yesterday formally announced the partnership, marking the first time for the national women’s team to be featured on prime time television outside of international club competitions. Cayco said the partnership is a massive boost to the country’s bid of growing the sport and making its presence felt in the international arena. “I’d like to thank ABS-CBN for helping us grow the sport,” said Cayco during the press conference graced by ABS-CBN head of Integrated Sports Dino Laurena. “It’s going to be a tough task ahead. We hope our team will make us proud as they compete in front of our countrymen.” bout and appeared to have Horn in trouble with some massive blows that left the Australian staggering. After the bell in the 9th round, the referee approached Horn’s corner and told them something which Horn acknowledged and revealed in the post-fight interview. “The ref came over (at the end of the round) and said ‘show me something or I’ll stop the fight’,” Horn said. “I thought, ‘hang on, hold your horses, I’m not that bad, I can keep going for sure’.” Horn recovered and came out strongly in the 10th. “That was just my heart that kept me going,” he said. “He got me with a couple of good shots and I did go backwards more in that round than in any other round in the fight, but I still felt good. “But I came back in the 10th,11th and 12th.” Horn, a former school teacher, eventually got the judges’ nod to win the crown with a unanimous points decision win on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. (R. Caluag with reports from AFP, MS) ● ABS-CBN is Asian volley partner Sen. Pia Cayetano, a former national team member who saw action in this tourney’s 1983 edition in Fukuoka, Japan, congratulated the players, saying: “They should savor the experience because it’s a golden opportunity to serve the country through volleyball. It’s amazing. I can’t forget the experience of representing the country.” Cayetano’s brother, Department of Foreign Affairs Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano, will head the organizing committee. “It’s an experience you’ll never forget. You’ll learn a lot from that not only in the sport, but also in life in general,” said the congresswoman. Bannered by team captain Mika Reyes of Petron, the Nationals landed on a light bracket in Pool A together with Kazakhstan and Hong Kong. Pool B features Rio Olympics champion China and Asian powerhouse Japan and Australia while Pool C has Members of the national team competing in the AVC Asian Senior Women’s Championship set Aug. 9 to 17 in the cities of Muntinlupa and Bin