After months of speculation, the biggest fight in Australian boxing history has been locked in with Jeff Horn to fight Manny Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium on July 2 for the WBO Welterweight title.
Details of the fight were confirmed yesterday and both parties have signed their contracts to lock in a Sunday event at the 52,500-set stadium.
38-year-old Pacquiao will take on 29-year-old local school teacher Horn who has 17 wins, 11 of them by knockout, and a draw so far from his boxing career.
Horn will no doubt go in as the underdog against Pacquiao, but stands a chance of recording what would be a historic victory for Australian boxing.
Early odds have Pacquiao at $1.16 to claim a win, with Horn out to $4.65.
Pacquiao was slated for a ‘super fight’ with Amir Khan but after that fell through, this proposed fight with Horn has become a reality.
“We signed it, so yeah, we’re excited about it. But again, my preference was to fight Amir Khan,” said Pacquiao’s advisor Michael Koncz. “That didn’t work out. We had this on the table so we decided to take it.
“Manny will train and do the best he can and hopefully we get the fight over with very quickly, we get out of there, we say hi to the Australian fans and media and come home.”
Horn said he wasn’t worried about Pacquiao taking him lightly.
“Pacquiao and his managers sound a bit confident and cocky,” said Horn.
“It’s like ‘we will just take this fight, come to Brisbane, knock over Jeff Horn, make their millions and go do the Khan fight.
“I hope he keeps feeling that way.”
The event is set to be a major boost for the state of Queensland and its position on the international stage.
“Up to 55,000 boxing fans from across Australia and the world are expected to fill Suncorp Stadium to see the local teacher taking on one of the biggest names in boxing history, on his home turf,” said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“The match is a highlight on the state’s major events calendar and is set to deliver an expected $15.8 million economic boost to the city.”
Minister for Sport Mick de Brenni said:
“Queensland has always punched above our weight in most sports and now we’ve cemented our state as the premier venue for major events in Australia.
“We’ve seen plenty of State of Origin legends throw some punches here but this spectacle of the kid from Brisbane taking on a boxing legend, will be something people will talk about for years to come.
“Installation of new screens is under way at Suncorp Stadium, and if everything goes to plan we’ll see Horn vs. Pacquiao in massive, high definition LED.”
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