Aussie side taunts Pacquiao
The Australian side is making an effort trying to lure Manny Pacquiao back into the rematch with Jeff Horn in November. They’re taunting Pacquiao. “Frankly, I think he’s a bit too scared to come and face Horn,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in an article that came out of www.boxingscene.com.
“For Manny not to reappear, really says to me that he knows Jeff is the world champion,” she added.
Well, Pacquiao has his own reasons why he’s refusing to commit himself to the rematch orginally scheduled Nov. 12 in Brisbane.
But being scared is certainly none of them.
Pacquiao has the heart as big as the Brisbane Stadium, and would never back down from a fight.
In his prime, he faced opponents bigger than he is, opponents like Oscar dela Hoya, Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto.
Horn is not the type of a fighter that would scare the hell out of Pacquiao.
A member of Team Pacquiao yesterday said nothing is final at the moment.
“Negotiations are ongoing. Everything – the purse, venue and date,” he said.
Dean Lonergan, the promoter of the 29-year-old Horn, has his own opinion.
“I don’t think for one second Manny Pacquiao is running scared of Jeff Horn. He has been in the ring with the greatest boxers of our generation,” said Lonergan.
It’s Pacquiao’s political schedule, Lonergan believes, that has kept the eight-division champion from fighting Horn in November, and the former strongly believes that the rematch will still happen in 2018
And it’s understandable why the Australian side is “pissed off” at Pacquiao’s refusal to seal the deal and set the rematch of what proved to be the biggest boxing event in Australian history.
Horn, the WBO welterweight champion, is looking to face someone else in November, and already being mentioned is American Jessie Vargas or UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
“If we could get McGregor, that would be great,” the Queensland Premier was quoted as saying.