It’s safe to say that many were surprised by the decision in Saturday’s fight between Jeff Horn and former champion Manny Pacquiao. Horn shocked the world by pulling off a decision victory, taking the title and gaining a lot of notoriety amid the controversy. Plenty have spoken out about the decision, including Teddy Atlas and ESPN opinion expert Stephen A. Smith, with most feeling like Pacquaio was robbed of a win:
I'm done with boxing! Unless @FloydMayweather fighting! #imdone most corrupt sport ever. This ain't a sport it's a Hustle. #TRUTH
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) July 2, 2017
But the results of the fight paled to where Jeff Horn went after he was declared the winner and placed in front of a live microphone.
Jeff Horn wants Floyd Mayweather. pic.twitter.com/L74q5OB4zY
— ESPN (@espn) July 2, 2017
Some might say that calling out Floyd Mayweather is the smart thing to do after you’ve allegedly fallen into a victory you may not have deserved. Boxing is a game about promotion as much as it is about skill inside the ring, so calling out the guy who arguably the greatest boxer of a generation is what you’d want to do. Also it’s unlikely a guy like Mayweather would agree to the fight, where calling out Canelo Alvarez or something might end with severe swelling of your mouth.
But other people went ahead and took the other route, saying Horn was a little too big for his britches by calling out Mayweather:
Floyd Mayweather listening to Joe Horn call him out. 😂😂😂 #PacquiaoHorn pic.twitter.com/pOPrZ3Q7zW
— HaitianPrens™ (@JaimeStvil) July 2, 2017
Did Jeff Horn just call out Floyd Mayweather? Just stop bro and enjoy your gift from the judges. #PacquiaoHorn
— George Wrighster III (@georgewrighster) July 2, 2017
Ppl love to bash Floyd Mayweather until someone calls him out and suddenly it's "he really think he can take Floyd" thought he just runs tho
— Trevor (@WizFanx) July 2, 2017
Floyd Mayweather after watching Pacquiao lose to Jeff Horn…. #PacHorn pic.twitter.com/guEgkC1MVJ
— Zac (@DCzWall) July 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/ESPNStreak/status/881377355159175168
Horn out here calling Floyd out lmaaaooooo nigga that concussion must be strong as shit
— MY HC BLACK 🙏🏽 (@Fxtchris_) July 2, 2017
https://twitter.com/DeAIID/status/881381423814332416
And Horn calling out Floyd is like Lil B calling out Kendrick to battle😂😂😂
Stop it mate😂😂😂— OMAR EPPS (@omarepps) July 2, 2017
This horn kid says he wants to take on Floyd now. #PacquiaoHorn #Mayweather pic.twitter.com/e77xR7hKlp
— Cowboy Carter🕺🏽 (@camerononeal_) July 2, 2017
Others found that the Horn’s victory over Pacquiao was a positive compared to what we might see with Mayweather’s showdown with Conor McGregor later this summer:
https://twitter.com/Iheanaju/status/881376443355111425
Next up: the square dance between Floyd and Conor
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 2, 2017
Clearly all eyes are on Mayweather, even with Canelo Alvarez taking on GGG possibly meaning more for boxing in the long run. If we see Jeff Horn rush the ring after August’s big bout, we’ll know things are for real. We might even give him credit if he shows up outside the arena begging for the next fight.