Pacman off to Brisbane

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Manny Pacquiao’s Australian strength coach wants to see a quick knockout in Brisbane on July 2.

Justine Fortune told reporters here Saturday that a knockout win over Jeff Horn at the Suncorp Stadium is a must for Pacquiao.

“He has to. He has no choice,” said Fortune of Pacquiao, a 38-year-old superstar who will try to defend his WBO welterweight crown before an expected crowd of 55,000 in Brisbane.

Pacquiao will also try to enhance his dwindling reputation as one of the sport’s most bankable stars, a lofty billing that he used to hold.

“If he knocks this guy out the future opens up for him,” said Fortune, who like the millions of Pacquiao fans, is hoping to see a stoppage.

“This is the perfect guy to destroy,” said Fortune, a former heavyweight contender who once faced Lennox Lewis inside the ring.

The future could mean a lot of things for Pacquiao – one that includes a potential fight with rising star Terence Crawford by the end of the year or even a dream rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. later on.

Pacquiao could earn as much as $10 million in this fight when he’s used to make twice as much or even 10 times more.

But he needs a knockout to make it all possible.

“If this goes 12 rounds it’s bad for him (Pacquiao) and good for Horn,” added Fortune as Pacquiao and his giant entourage prepared to board an Air Asia jumbo jet at noon for a seven-hour flight to Brisbane.

Pacquiao will have a lot of things on his mind during the flight. He must be figuring out by himself how he could be as impressive as he used to be.

He has not scored a knockout win since 2009, and it should come here.

George Kambosos, a sparring partner from Australia, thinks he’d known Pacquiao well enough that past months he’d predicted a knockout win for the Filipino senator in “six rounds.”

It’s the first time since 2005 that a Pacquiao fight will not be aired live on pay-per-view, and it’s not the best sign for the fighter that used to sell PPV hits in the millions or just below.