It might be partially due to the reported $20 million Michael Koncz says Manny Pacquiao wants guaranteed for the fight, but Pac-Man will NOT be facing Terence Crawford this year. So said Bob Arum when speaking with The Manila Bulletin.
Instead, the Top Rank boss wants to take Manny on the road – possibly as far afield as Australia or the Middle East. Arum says the Crawford fight could still take place, in America, but not in the first half of 2017.
“There’ll be no Pacquiao-Crawford fight in the first six months of the year definitely,” Arum stated. “Only if the fight will be in the United States, so we’re also not planning on Crawford now. Now that the New Year is over, I’m going to finalise a location, because we’re looking for an opponent depending on the locations like in Australia, England, Middle East or maybe even in Mexico. That’s what I want to do with the last period of Manny’s career. I want him to be known as a worldwide fighter.”
While Arum didn’t mention a name from England or Mexico, he did list an Australian fighter as a possibility for Pac-Man’s next fight: Jeff Horn, the current WBO No.2 welterweight contender. Maybe Pacquaio will look to have his Australian debut at this late stage in his career.
Horn, 16-0-1(11) is a good fighter even if it’s likely not too many casual fight fans are all that familiar with him. The 28-year-old from Brisbane was last seen halting veteran Ali Funeka on the Joseph Parker-Andy Ruiz Junior card. Horn suffered a knockdown in the fight but he got the stoppage in the end. Horn’s biggest win is probably the corner retirement win he scored over another veteran in Randall Bailey last April – another fight that saw Horn suffer a knockdown before coming back to win.
Who knows what kind of a fight Horn would give today’s 59-6-2(38) version of Pacquiao; but we might find out soon enough.
