Jeff Horn could face his critics at ESPY Awards in US

Jeff Horn could get the chance to face some of his most vocal critics at the ESPY Awards in the US next week.

World champion Jeff Horn and wife Jo at their Acacia Ridge home yesterday. Picture: Adam Head

Jeff Horn could get the chance to face some of his most vocal critics at the ESPY Awards in the US next week, but before then Duco Events promoter Dean Lonergan took aim at two of the loudest ­following fresh questioning of the Australian’s win.

ESPN boxing writer Dan ­Rafael, who was critical of the result in the immediate aftermath of the fight, spoke to Sydney radio station 2KY yesterday morning where he appeared to question Duco Events’ involvement with one of the judges who scored ­Sunday afternoon’s fight in favour of Horn.

The judge, Waleska Roldan, was an official at the world title tilt of another Duco Events fighter Joseph Parker earlier this year. He scored last Sunday’s fight in favour of Horn 117-111 as the ­Australian recorded a unanimous decision over Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao to win the WBO welterweight title

ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas was critical of the decision at the time and Rafael followed that up yesterday with comments in regard to Roldan that infuriated the Horn camp.

“He also worked a fight not that long ago that Duco Events were also involved in and that was the Joe Parker versus Andy Ruiz fight,” Rafael said.

“It just so happened that fight in New Zealand — a very close fight, some would say controversial — he gave it 115-113 also to the Duco fighter.

“So you can read into that whatever you want.”

Lonergan was seething when told of Rafael’s comments.

“Dan Rafael’s comments couldn’t be more further from the mark,” Lonergan said.

“Duco has absolutely zero input into judges or referees and they are appointed by the WBO. There is no doubt that Dan Rafael is a respected and experienced journalist in the world of boxing but for him to infer that there is some sort of colluding going on is an insult to Duco, an insult to the WBO and an insult to Top Rank and Bob Arum.

“If Dan has a problem with these things he should ring either the president of the WBO, myself or Bob Arum rather than bringing up things that are complete ­bullshit and trying to stir up ­controversy and get his own name in the media.

“There were definitely two judges who got it right. I don’t agree with the judge who had such a big spread — I think the fight was a lot closer than that. For ­people to be commenting the way Rafael does, he is kidding himself.

“Dan Rafael should watch the fight without the biased commentary coming from Teddy Atlas in particular.”

While Pacquiao departed ­Australia yesterday morning with a gracious message of support for Horn, the result continued to ­simmer in the US where it was watched by record numbers through ESPN.

Some of the country’s most celebrated athletes and actors were critical of the verdict, chief among them Kobe Bryant, Aaron Rodgers and Samuel L. Jackson.

Horn could yet come face-to-face with them, along with Rafael and Atlas, should he attend the ESPY Awards, which honour athletic achievement and will be held in Los Angeles next Wednesday.

Rodgers is one of the nominees for his season as quarterback with the Green Bay Packers, as is a ­potential future opponent for Horn — undefeated light welterweight Terence Crawford — who is up for best fighter.

“Jeff Horn’s life’s changed now,” said Lonergan. “Things like the ESPYS, they’ve been talked about already. How cool is that?”