Ni Gilbert Espeña
NANINIWALA si Australian three-division world champion Jeff Fenech na ang pagwawagi ni WBO No. 1 welterweight Jeff Horn kay eight-division world titlist Manny Pacquiao ang muling bubuhay sa nananamlay na professional boxing sa Australia.
Tinuligsa ni Fenech ang walang kuwentang laban nina dating Australian world champions Anthony Mundine at Danny Green sa unang bahagi ng taon kaya malaking bagay ang pagdepensa ni Pacquiao kay Horn sa Hulyo 2 sa Brisbane.
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Aniya, ito ang pinakamalaking boxing event sa Australia mula noong labanan niya si dating WBC super featherweight champion Azumah Nelson ng Ghana sa harap ng halos 40,000 katao sa Princes Park sa Melbourne noong 1992 kung saan nabigo siya via technical knockout.
Para kay Fenech na hinawakan din ang IBF bantamweight at WBC super bantamweight belt, pinakamalaking nangyari sa Australian boxing ang laban ni Horn kay Pacquiao.
“It’s the biggest fight in Australian history,” sabi ni Fenech sa BoxingScene.com. “Bigger than Fenech-Nelson, bigger than Green-Mundine, all those clowny fights.”
“The difference is this kid’s fought the best to get here,” diin ni Fenech. “He’s taken no shortcuts and it’s an amazing opportunity early (in his career) but his trainers and the promoters wouldn’t have put him there if they didn’t think he could win.”
Naniniwala si Fenech na ang 29-anyos na dating guro na si Horn ay lilikha ng malaking upset laban kay Pacquiao na walang napatulog na karibal mula noong 2009 nang ma-TKO sa 12th round si Puerto Rican Miguel Angel Cotto para sa WBO welterweight title.
“He’s bigger, stronger, younger, he can punch, and he wants it more than Manny Pacquiao,” dagdag ni Fenech. “Anyone who thinks Manny’s hungry, of course - $8 million or $10 million is going to be great to go and help his people back at home. But you lose your hunger when you have success for so long and this kid’s very, very hungry. That’s going to be the difference. He’s going to make a lot of people eat humble pie.”
Tumulak kahapon ang Team Pacquaio para makapaghanda sa nakatakdang laban sa dating Olympian.
