Super fight over venue
HIGH- RANKING negotiations have started between Queensland’s peak tourism body and event promoters as the bells ring in the fight to secure the Jeff Horn (pictured) versus Tim Tszyu boxing bout for Townsville.
The Bulletin can reveal Tourism Events Queensland has backed Townsville’s new stadium as the preferred location should the April 22 showdown be held in the state, although negotiations are expected to be competitive with cities like Perth and Melbourne also vying to play host.
Securing the fight is expected to pump millions of dollars into the local economy as past Horn fights have done, with the bout against Anthony Mundine in 2018 estimated to have injected $5 million into Brisbane’s economy and pulling crowds of at least 25,000. Those numbers were dwarfed by the financial benefits of the Horn v Pacquiao Battle of Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium, estimated to have raked in $27 million for the economy and beaming the city to a global audience of millions.
It is also understood Australian light-middleweight champion Tszyu is himself keen on Townsville, because his world-champion father Kostya fought in the city in 1997.
But the man who’ll get the final say on where the mega fight will be staged is Horn’s
Advertisement promoter Dean Lonergan. And he has declared Townsville is well positioned to snare the event. But he fired a missive against his fighter’s opponent, saying he “couldn’t care less” what Tszyu’s sentiments were.
“I couldn’t care less what Tim wants, he can say what he l likes because he’s not deciding where this fight will be,” Lonergan said.
“The contract states that we dictate where it goes and we’ve been in discussion with a few different venues.
“If we ended up in Townsville it would be a massively parochial crowd for Jeff.”
Townsville MP Scott Stewart, who has previously revealed his soft spot for Horn due to their shared backgrounds as teachers, said he was making representations to Tourism Minister Kate Jones, but admitted it would be tough.
“I’ve heard there are a number of other states interested. But we haven’t been knocked out yet,” he said.