SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Manny Pacquiao’s camp said Thursday it was keen for a quick win over Australian Jeff Horn in July to set up a higher-profile title fight with British boxer Amir Khan.
The world champion, 38, will face the undefeated Horn, 29, in Brisbane on July 2, the Filipino’s adviser told AFP in Manila on Wednesday.
The announcement ended months of speculation on who the fighter — dubbed “Pac-Man” — would face next as he seeks to prolong a stellar career that saw him win world titles in eight different weight classes.
It is the second time the Horn bout has been touted, after Pacquiao earlier this year instead decided to pursue a big money fight with Khan in the United Arab Emirates. But the deal fell through.
“We’re not able to fight Amir Khan because of Ramadan, so we decided to take this fight in the interim,” Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz told Fox Sports in Australia.
Koncz said Pacquiao’s fans preferred him to fight the Briton, with that prospect now on the table for October or November.
“We signed it, so yeah, we’re excited about it. But again, my preference was to fight Amir Khan,” Koncz said. “That didn’t work out. We had this on the table so we decided to take it.
“Manny will train and do the best he can and hopefully we get the fight over with very quickly, we get out of there, we say hi to the Australian fans and media and come home,” he added.
“Frankly and honestly, and nothing against Jeff Horn — I’ve never met the kid, I don’t know him personally — but the name recognition is I guess why the fans picked Amir Khan.”
Koncz said Pacquiao would be staking his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown against the Australian.
The Filipino, who has been hailed as a virtual national hero in his home country, briefly retired early last year and then ran and won a seat in the Philippine senate.
But the retirement was short-lived as Pacquiao, who said he missed the ring, made a successful comeback against Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas in November.