WBO World Welterweight Champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines returns to the ring this Saturday, July 2nd when he travels down under to take on hometown hero Jeff Horn at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. The city is expecting a crowd of 55,000 to be in attendance for the 12-round welterweight contest. Pacquiao’s last fight took place in November of 2016 when he beat Jessie Vargas by a 12-round unanimous decision. Horn’s last fight was in December when he stopped Ali Funeka in the sixth round.
Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn – bet365 Boxing Odds:
- Pacquiao is currently favored to win the fight at 1/6 while Horn is 4/1. The odds of a draw or technical draw are 25/1
Manny Pacquiao
The Pac Man is now 38 years old and in the twilight of his career, but since he’s one of the sport’s all-tie greats it’s understandable why he’s the favorite here. His current record stands at 59-6-2 with 38 Kos with his last loss coming by way of a unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in May of 2015. He’s won two fights since then with the win over Vargas and a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Timothy Bradley in their rubber match in April of last year.
Pacquiao is a speedy southpaw who stands just over 5-feet-5-inches tall and has a reach of 67 inches. He’s known for his fine, snapping right jab as well as his aggressive style, hard left hand and fast combinations. Pacquiao used to have pretty good power, but his knockout ratio currently stands at 57 per cent as he hasn’t stopped an opponent since knocking out Miguel Cotto in the 12th and final round back in November of 2012. He’s now won his last nine outings by decision. However, he did drop Vargas once and Bradley three times in his past two bouts.
Pacquiao definitely has the experience over Horn since he’s won titles in an unprecedented eight different weight classes and has fought 443 rounds as a pro since making his debut in 1995. In addition, he’s also fought the best available opponents in his division and hasn’t ducked anyone. Still, Pacquiao has been stopped in three of his six defeats and his chin is always a question mark, especially at this age. But on the bright side, he hasn’t been knocked out since Juan Manuel Marquez stopped him with a terrific left hook in the sixth round of their tilt in December, 2012.
Jeff Horn
Horn is just 29 years old and enters the fight undefeated with a record of 16-0-1 with 11 Kos. He turned pro back in 2013 and has fought 94 rounds since then. He’s won several regional titles as a professional, but lacks in experience. Horn has the height advantage over the champion as he’s 5-foot-9 and also has a one-inch edge in reach with a wingspan of 68 inches. He also has pretty good power with his current knockout ratio being an impressive 65 per cent. However, he’s definitely taking a huge step up in class here against Pacquiao.
Horn’s biggest wins and best opponents up to now have been the likes of Funeka, Rico Mueller, Randall Bailey and Ahmed El Mousaoui. He’ also managed to stop them all except Mousaoui. The lone blemish on Horn’s record is his three-round technical draw with Rivan Cesaire in August of 2013. Horn isn’t as green as some fans may believe though as he did represent Australia as a junior welterweight at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. He won two fights there before losing 21-13 on points to Denis Berinchik of Ukraine in the quarterfinals.
Manny Pacquiao vs Jeff Horn – Intangibles
This may look like a mismatch on paper, but Horn will have the home crowd behind him and he’s also the bigger man. In addition, he’s arguably also a more powerful puncher than Pacquiao at this stage of their careers. Horn doesn’t have anything to lose really since he’s fighting a future hall of famer and he’s got a puncher’s chance. But still, it’s going to be an extremely tough task to topple a legendary champion like Pacquiao.
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