securing a world title fight for their hot Australian prospect Jeff Horn against the legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao.
The bout for the WBO welterweight title will be announced in Brisbane at 3.30pm New Zealand time.
Following talks in Las Vegas overnight between Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum and Horn’s backer Dean Lonergan, the bout will be announced at a press conference at Brisbane’s riverside Regatta Hotel.
Horn’s preferred venue is Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, but Lonergan said the fight would be held wherever it made “the most commercial sense”.
Pacquiao’s team have warned 28-year-old Horn that his dream fight will quickly become a nightmare, but Brisbane’s “Fighting Schoolteacher” says the Filipino great has slipped in recent years.
Horn will start a massive underdog in the fight and says his best chance of victory is to catch 38-year-old Pacquiao leaping in.
Pacquiao has not scored a knockout victory since 2009 and has lost three of his last eight fights.
He was knocked out cold in six rounds by Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.
“I’ve fought all over the world as an amateur and I’ve had a lot of fights against some top fighters as an amateur and pro. I’ve only had 17 fights and Pacquiao has had 67 but I think I’ve got the skills to win,” Horn said.
“It’s my time. I’m getting Pacquiao at the right moment.
“I know I have the power to hurt him. If I land a clean shot on Pacquiao when he’s coming forward I know I could hurt him. That’s what I’m hoping for to catch him as he rushes in.”
Horn is unbeaten in 17 fights. Pacquiao has 59 wins, six losses and two draws.
His 2015 loss against Floyd Mayweather was the most lucrative fight in history, generating NZ$632 million.
