Manny Pacquiao Next Fight 2017: Pacquiao Starts Training for Jeff Horn
While Floyd Mayweather Jr. is enjoying a surge in popularity recently due to a possible boxing match with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Conor McGregor, Manny Pacquiao is silently getting himself ready for his next opponent.
Well, the lack of hype for his bout with Jeff Horn is understandable. Fight fans want to see him face Amir Khan, but that fight got canceled. Now he will put his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title on the line against Horn on July 2 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.
Horn is a bit of an unknown outside of Australia and New Zealand, but he's a dangerous fighter with 11 knockouts in 17 fights and Pacquiao should take this fight seriously.
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Fortunately, the Filipino boxer has begun training. According to Sports Interactive Network Philippines, Pacquiao had a three-hour training session as he gets ready for his fight with Horn.
"The workout wasn't intense as past Pacquiao training, but it was, according to the 147-pound belt owner himself, enough to bring him back to training mode," Eddie G. Alinea said in his report for Sports Interactive Network Philippines.
Meanwhile, the promoters will have their work cut out for them in creating interest for the fight. According to Forbes' Josh Katzowitz, fight fans outside of Australia are just not interested in the bout and it's not expected to generate much money from pay-per-view buys.
"After a fight vs. Amir Khan (and an apparent $38 million event that would have come with it) fell through, Pacquiao falls drastically on this list because now he'll fight the unknown Jeff Horn in Australia," Katzowitz said in an article about the top moneymakers in boxing.
"Yes, it's expected that the fight will sell at least 52,000 seats at Suncorps Stadium in Brisbane, but it'll be a tough buy for anybody who doesn't live in Australia," he continued.
