Report: Pacquiao To Face Horn In April
By: Sean Crose

Credit ESPNs Dan Rafael with breaking the news:

Manny Pacquiao will be defending his WBO world welterweight title against Jeff Horn on April 22nd . Rafael reports that the sight of the fight is unknown, but Horn’s native Australia is a distinct possibility (as is Dubai). Other outlets, however, are reporting that the bout will definitely be held in Australia. FOX SPORTS Australia, for instance, has referred to the yet-to-be-announced match as “the biggest fight in Australian history.” Historians may beg to differ, as Australia is where the legendary Jack Johnson wrested the heavyweight title from Tommy Burns over a hundred years ago. The point, however, is clear: the fight will be a big deal in the land down under should it in fact, be fought there.

Horn, a little known commodity in the United States, is undefeated at 17-0 and is ranked number two by the WBO at welterweight, behind old Pacquiao foe Tim Bradley. That means he’s far from a tomato can despite his lack of popularity. Still, Horn isn’t an opponent fans have been clamoring for Pacquiao to face. That honor would go to one Terrence Crawford, the junior welterweight maestro who many feel stands a good chance of besting the guy called PacMan. While the Horn fight might be a big deal in Pacquiao’s homeland of the Philippines and in Australia itself, it’s hard to view the affair as a megafight of global proportions.

Pacquiao’s last bout, against Jessie Vargas, was far from pay per view gold, after all, and it’s hard to imagine a fight against Horn doing much better – if, of course, it appears in America via pay per view. If the fight were to appear on say, HBO or Showtime, however, it’s easy to see the ratings being huge indeed. Pacquiao, after all, is still one of the biggest names in the sport. With HBO spending far less than it used to on boxing these days, however, it will be interesting to see where the bout ends up.

Life is now more hectic than ever for Pacquiao. Besides being one the most well paid and famous athletes on earth, he’s also a member of the Filipino Senate, a position which takes up much of the man’s time. It’s clear the gentleman still loves to fight, though, or at least loves the money he earns from the ring, for he continues on with his career, even though he’s now pushing forty years of age. It’s worth noting, however, that Pacquaio is still a top level fighter – and that Horn will most likely have his hands full come this spring.

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