South African calls out Pacquiao
Chris van Heerden makes his entrance during Premier Boxing Champions bout against Errol Spence Jr. at the Ricoh Coliseum on September 11, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images/AFP
For boxers seeking instant international recognition, fighting Manny Pacquiao is a prime option.
South African Chris van Heerden, hardly known like Australian Jeff Horn, has joined the line of probable opponents for the Filipino ring icon this year.
While Pacquiao, the sport’s only eight-division world champion, has yet to pick from among four candidates proposed by his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, for his first fight in June or July, Van Heerden has made himself available for the second fight expected to be held in November.
According to a report by citizen.co.za, Van Heerden’s team has submitted a formal proposal for Arum’s perusal this week.
It reportedly contains a total fight purse of $310 million rand (about $25 million) with the massive First National Bank Stadium, also known as Soccer City which sits about 95,000, in Johannesburg as possible venue.
Like Horn, who enjoys the backing of the city government of Brisbane, Australia, Van Heerden’s group is also banking on the support of the South African government, through its Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.
But is Van Heerden a worthy adversary for Pacquiao?
According to BoxRec,Van Heerden carries a 25-win, 2-loss, 1-draw record, is a former International Boxing Organization welterweight champion, and the reigning WBA Pan African titlist.
A lefty like Pacquiao, Van Heerden is nine years younger than the Filipino at 29 and three inches taller at 5-foot-9.
Also in the mix for Pacquiao’s November tiff is Amir Khan, who was supposed to clash with Pacquiao in May in the United Arab Emirates until the deal fell through.
