Pacman looks beyond Horn

MELBOURNE. - While Manny Pacquiao’s upcoming fight with unheralded Australian Jeff Horn is a world away from his blockbuster bouts against Floyd Mayweather (Jnr) and Oscar De La Hoya, the “Battle of Brisbane” may help return the Filipino to pay-per-view royalty.

Pacquiao, one of the finest boxers of his generation, was defeated by Mayweather in an unanimous points decision in Las Vegas two years ago but the 38-year-old wants another shot at the American.

Mayweather retired in 2015 with a 49-0 record but the 40-year-old has agreed to a 12-round fight against mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor, a match-up dismissed by boxing purists as a circus.

Speculation of a potential Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch has rumbled in the background, with the Filipino’s long-time trainer Freddie Roach saying that Mayweather had paid several visits to his Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles in recent months.

Roach told reporters in the leadup to tomorrow’s fight that Pacquiao wanted a rematch with Mayweather but he would have to put on a show against Horn to have any chance of getting it.

“To get Mayweather you have to look good. Against Horn, he has to be impressive. It’s a good way to get his pay-per-view audience back.”

While Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title defence will be pay-per-view on Australian television, ESPN’s telecast will be beamed prime-time in the United States. - Reuters.