By Adrian Warren

Jeff Horn's win over Manny Pacquiao may not have won universal approval, but it will galvanise Australian boxing while proving nice guys can finish first.

Horn's contentious unanimous points win in Brisbane on Sunday will breathe new life into a sport which has struggled for attention in Australia since the UFC brand giving mixed martial arts plenty of momentum.

The Queenslander's against-the-odds victory will inspire an emerging generation of boxers, with Sunday's undercard winners Damian Hooper, David Toussaint and Brock Jarvis along with and Pacquiao's recent Australian sparring partner George Kambosos Jr among those set to make a mark.

Another world title could come as early as next weekend, when Queenslander Mark Flanagan challenges Denis Lebedev for the WBA Super World cruiserweight title in Russia.

But first Australia will savour a victory from its newest sporting hero.

Horn quickly showed he wasn't going to be intimidated by his celebrated opponent.

The occasional schoolteacher with the respectful out-of-ring manner, pushed Pacquiao to the canvas early and roughed him up.

His courage in withstanding Pacquiao's barrage in the ninth round will go down alongside Jeff Harding's unforgettable final round in his first fight with Dennis Andries as one of the most memorable rounds in Australian boxing history.

But not all of the international boxing community was won over by Horn's performance.

The result triggered plenty of comment, with several respected fight figures scoring Pacquiao the winner.

CompuBox stats showed Pacquiao landing 182 punches to 92 and more punches in 11 of the 12 rounds..

The punch statistics don't always tell the story or reflect the power and effectiveness of the blows and while Horn reeled in the ninth, Pacquiao absorbed plenty of punishment.

Some observers suggested Pacquiao was the victim of the latest of boxing's many judging robberies.

“I mean, I'd like to knock him out in nine rounds but he survived,” said Pacquiao, who had Horn fighting for dear life in the ninth canto but still managed to survive until the bell. “At the ninth round I thought I'm gonna win the fight."