Big phone boxer
Ring-a-ding-ding as Manny goes mobile
JEFF Horn says Manny Pacquiao’s mobile phone antics are proof the Filipino great is not taking Sunday’s “Battle of Brisbane” seriously enough.
Pacquiao spent most of yesterday’s official press conference at Suncorp Stadium playing with his phone and looked largely uninterested in the formalities around him.
Horn’s promoter, Duco Events boss Dean Lonergan, teased Pacquiao as not only an 11-time world champion boxer, but a “world champion texter” as well.
“I’ve attended four press conferences with Manny, he never gets off his bloody phone,” Lonergan said. “I hope you take the phone into the ring and she’ll be game over.”
While Pacquiao (59-6-2) later claimed he was merely preparing notes for what he would say to reporters, Horn took it as a sign of his true feelings towards the bout.
“I can’t imagine him doing that at a (Floyd) Mayweather press conference,” Horn said.
“It definitely shows a bit of ‘he doesn’t care’ attitude to the fight. Maybe we’ll see he hasn’t put in all the hard work they say he has.”
Pacquaio, 38, is heavily favoured to retain his WBO welterweight championship.
“I don’t know if it’s arrogance; I’m just used to that now,” Horn said. “It gave me a laugh when Dean called him out on it, it was hilarious. “His face ... he didn’t know what to do.”
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddy Roach said nobody in their camp was taking Horn lightly, but predicted the fight would be “short and sweet” and that most of the expected 50,000strong crowd would be cheering for Pacquiao by the end of the night.
“Someone will be knocked out,” Roach said. “I’d like to wish Jeff the best of luck ... Manny won’t need it. He’s a very good puncher, big strong kid. He’s fighting for the world title, the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Horn, unbeaten in his 17 professional fights, welcomed the idea of Pacquiao hunting for his first knockout in eight years. “If you look for a knockout it usually doesn’t come and you leave lots of openings,” the 29-year-old Queenslander said.