Manny Pacquiao will extend his illustrious boxing career with a fight against a little-known former schoolteacher who never expected he’d get a shot at such a legend of the ring.
Pacquiao will take on Australian Jeff Horn on July 2 at Brisbane’s 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium in a defense of Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title.
Promoters for Horn, a 29-year-old and the No. 2 contender, had been working on a possible deal to fight Pacquiao since January, and finally made the announcement on Sunday with state government officials in attendance.
Pacquiao and his camp had attempted to line up a higher-paying fight with Britain’s Amir Khan in the Middle East which never eventuated, stalling the negotiations for several months.
The 38-year-old Pacquiao is an 11-time world champion over eight weight divisions and is now a senator in the Philippines. He has a record of 59-6-2 while Horn is 16-0-1.