Manny Pacquiao Next Fight Rumors: Boxer to Fight in July and November; Facing Jeff Horn Next?
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum recently announced that Manny Pacquiao will be fighting in July and November. However, the World Boxing Organization welterweight champion's opponents for the upcoming boxing matches have yet to be confirmed.
Speaking at the media day for Vasyl Lomachenko last week, Arum said that they will be finalizing details for the July bout in the next couple of days.
"We're going to wrap it up this week," he said, as reported by Boxing News 24. The boxing promoter refused to mention the name of Pacquiao's opponent but did say that the fight will take place outside the United States.
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Reports suggest that Pacquiao will be facing former Olympian Jeff Horn next and that the fight would be in Australia. The two were originally scheduled to face each other this April but initial plans fell through. Nevertheless, Arum is said to be interested in pairing up the two boxers.
If the Pacquiao–Horn match does come to fruition, it is expected to be one of most exciting spectacles to be held in the land Down Under, particularly because Horn — though not as popular as Pacquiao — is well-loved by many Australians.
Meanwhile, the boxing icon is said to be needing a boost after less-than-stellar matches against Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas last year.
As for Pacquiao's match in November, Arum mentioned that possible contenders include Terence Crawford and Adrien Broner.
Amir Khan was initially supposed to clash with Pacquiao in July but talks fell through due to scheduling conflicts from Khan's side. However, Arum mentioned that his name is still being considered for the November date.
According to Forbes, there's also a strong possibility that Pacquiao will be heading to South Africa in November to face Chris van Heerden. But the match will reportedly only push through if the South African government can cover the $25-million boxing purse.
