Pacquiao v Horn fight locked in

MANILA • Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao is to fight undefeated Jeff Horn on the Australian's home turf, the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) welterweight champion's camp said yesterday.

The announcement of the July 2 bout ends months of speculation on who the 38-year-old Filipino, dubbed "Pac-Man", would face next as he seeks to prolong a stellar career that has seen him win world titles in eight different weight classes.

"We signed the Jeff Horn contract this morning. Fight is July 2 in Brisbane, Australia," Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz told AFP by text message.

Koncz said Pacquiao would be staking his WBO welterweight crown against Horn, 29. He declined to say what the prize money would be.

Horn has endured three months of confusion and frustration since their original April bout was first announced in January.

The original fight agreement fell through as Pacquiao unsuccessfully chased a lucrative bout with former sparring partner Britain's Amir Khan in the United Arab Emirates.

The venue for the July 2 fight remains unconfirmed, but the 52,000-capacity Suncorp Stadium in Horn's home town of Brisbane is the likely option.

As well as a dream match-up for welterweight pugilist Horn, the fight would be the biggest in Australian boxing history.

THE GUARDIAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 06, 2017, with the headline Pacquiao v Horn fight locked in. Subscribe