After a tumultuous negotiation period that saw Pacquiao confirmed to face Jeff Horn, to an announcement from Pacquiao himself that he would instead face Amir Khan (before that fell through), Top Rank has now finally made an official announcement that Pacquiao will indeed now face Horn on July 1 in Brisbane, Australia.
No U.S. telecast has been announced yet, but will be on PPV in Australia from Suncorp Stadium.
“Manny has been a pioneer, bringing world title fights to Cowboys Stadium, The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena and now Suncorp Stadium. We’re boxing’s version of Lewis & Clark, discovering new markets,” said Bob Arum. ” Manny knows who will be the crowd favorite on July 1, but he can’t wait to give Australia and the world a great performance. It’s going to be unbelievable event.”
Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), who is defending his WBO welterweight title, is coming off a decisive win over Jessie Vargas, while Horn (16-0, 11 KOs) went 3-0 in 2016, with wins over Ali Funeka, Rico Mueller and Randall Bailey.