Manny loves Fenech plan
MANNY Pacquiao cracked his biggest smile yesterday at the thought of a toe-toe slugfest with Jeff Horn in Australia’s biggest ever fight.
“I love to brawl,’’ he said ahead of Sunday’s World Boxing Organisation welterweight title fight at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
“It’s going to be a war. I’m expecting him to come inside close to me, fighting toe-totoe and I’m ready for that.
“I love to fight aggressive fighters. I plan to win and a knockout is a bonus.”
Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee, born-again Christians, spent two hours at a church service at the Worship Centre in Carina yesterday.
Pacquiao said he was trying to shore up a place in heaven for himself but that he was planning to unleash hell against Horn.
More than 45,000 tickets for the bout have already been sold and Pacquiao says he hopes Horn follows Jeff
Fenech’s tactics that were revealed in the Gold Coast Bulletin on Saturday.
Pacquiao said he knew all about Fenech’s strategy after being reminded Australia’s three-time world champ had told Horn to: “bash the bloke in close, do everything to hurt him in close. Twist him, twist his knees, use your weight advantage, bully him – bang your shoulder into him.”
An enormous smile broke across Pacquiao’s face and his eyes sparkled with a little of the fire Horn will see close up on Sunday afternoon.
“I’m ready for that,” Pacquiao said before laughing loudly.
“I have been fighting and training with brawler fighters, tough fighters.
“I consider Horn a tough opponent. I never underestimate an opponent.
“He’s undefeated and young. He has a big right hand. He has good amateur experience.”
Pacquiao faced a fighter using “Fenech tactics” in 2000 when the Fenechtrained Nedal Hussein knocked him down in Antipolo City before Pacquiao won on a late-round stoppage.
“It was a very dirty fight,” he said. “A lot of elbows and headbutts.”