FILE – In this Nov. 5, 2016 file photo, Manny Pacquiao, of the Philippines, celebrates after defeating Jessie Vargas in their WBO welterweight title boxing match, in Las Vegas. Pacquiao will fight Australian Jeff Horn on July 2 at Brisbane’s 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium in a defense of Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken, File)
Even Manny Pacquiao himself admitted he hardly knows about his Australian challenger Jeff Horn, who is a former schoolteacher in Brisbane and unheralded boxer.
Pacquiao arrived in Australia Monday (Manila time) to promote his fight against Horn, who holds a record of 16 wins, zero losses and a draw with 11 knockouts but hasn’t really faced an opponent that even comes close to the caliber of the Filipino ring superstar.
“I don’t know much about him, but I know he’s a fighter,” Pacquiao said in an interview with abc.net.au.
“I haven’t watched his fights yet, but I’m going to get his last three fights and watch it,” he added.
Horn, who is nine years younger and three and a half inches taller than the eight-division champion, stopped his previous three opponents with the last a sixth-round TKO win over Ali Funeka of South Africa last December in Auckland.
The 38-year-old Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) makes his first title defense on July 2 at Brisbane Stadium since regaining the WBO welterweight belt after a landslide victory over Jessie Vargas in November of last year.
The fighting senator hopes Horn will be in tiptop shape come fight night for the two to give boxing fans a good show.
“My message for him is to work hard, and make sure you’re 100 percent conditioned on July 2 so we can give a good fight, we can entertain people.”
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