JEFF HORN, A TUNE UP FOR MANNY PACQUIAO?
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 12 Jan 2017
Top Rank boss Bob Arum and Duco Events director Dean Lonergan and their parties have come up with the agreement finalizing the Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn fight on April 23, 2017 Australian time.
But Horn's home city Brisbane is not confirmed as the official venue of the WBO world welterweight championship. Other Australian cities Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide are also expected to bid for the title fight.
"It will be the biggest fight in Australian history but, until the money is secured, we have to keep our options open, including looking at the Middle East and USA," Arum told The Courier Mail.
But a lot of boxing gurus are considering Horn as a stepping stone for bigger opponents later this year. The boxing world is looking forward to a face-off with Terence Crawford, one of the top five fighters of the world pound-for-pound.
Though undefeated in 17 pro fights with one draw, Horn was knocked down by 41-year-old Randall Bailey last April and was also floored by 38-year-old Ali Funeka last December. He won both fights however by TKO.
A virtual unknown worldwide especially in the U.S., Horn's credentials are not that impressive and may serve as a tune-up for the fighting senator. He has not even fought outside Australia and New Zealand.
Pacquiao as usual will perform his legislative duties while at the same time will be practicing for the Aussie match. The practice schedule is very punishing for the eleven-time world champ and very hard for a dangerous opponent in Bud Crawford.
Choosing a lesser opponent in Horn gives PacMan a breathing room for what could be his farewell encounter against the Omaha-born American later this year. A tune-up fight with the WBO No. 2 welterweight contender would be a smart decision while exploiting the untapped boxing market Down Under.
Arum was proposing a free TV showing of the fight for maximum exposure which could be seen on 159 countries viewed by millions of fans around the world. This could start a trend towards showing popular bouts on free television and not on pay-per-view which took a nose dive after the disgusting Fight of the Century of Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather in May 2015.
Inspite of the negative comments the veteran promoter was all praises for Horn. "I thought he was a really rugged guy. He's a good fighter," Arum said. "Does he beat Manny? Probably not, but he's going to give him a good fight."
Horn is confident of beating Paquiao. "I think I've got the skills to upset him. If I land clean, I'll definitely bother him. The only tricky part is landing a clean shot on Pacquiao", Horn was quoted by BoxingScene.com.
"Jeff Horn is the best Australian fighter in a generation. He deserves to be given the platform of a fight against the biggest active legend in world boxing," Lonergan told SkySports.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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