Bob Arum is keenly awaiting the arrival of Jeff Horn’s promoter in the United States to determine if a showdown with Manny Pacquiao can be made for April 23 in Brisbane, Australia.
Dean Lonergan, co-owner of Duco Promotions, the New Zealand-based outfit bidding to stage the Pacquiao-Horn match, is holding talks with the Top Rank chief early this week.
Horn, 28, who had recently been signed to a promotional contract with Arum’s Top Rank Inc., describes a Pacquiao showdown as “a dream come true and it’s a fight I can definitely win” in a story published in the Courier Mail (Brisbane).
“Manny is a lot shorter than me and I fight well against guys who are shorter than me and who are coming forward,” said Horn, who has a 16-0-1 record with 11 KOs.
Horn, a veteran of the 2011 world championships and the 2012 London Olympics, also points to his being ten years younger as a big factor.
“I’ve got youth on my side. He’s 38, I’m 28. He’s got the experience but I think he’s slipped a bit.”
Pacquiao easily beat Jessie Vargas in his last fight in Las Vegas and is currently in the Cayman Islands for business and a little bit of pleasure.
Mike Koncz, Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser, is likewise working on a possible fight either in Dubai or Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
The Pacquiao camp is looking outside the US for fights as the pay-per-view business has been taking a beating.
Unless Pacquiao fights Floyd Mayweather in a rematch, it doesn’t seem like the numbers will hit the roof.