MANILA, Philippines – Top Rank chief Bob Arum expressed confidence Manny Pacquiao?s world tour will be a resounding success with a clash with Australian Jeff Horn kicking off the farewell tour in April either in Australia or the Middle East or the United States.
Negotiations are still under way as far as the venue is concerned along with the prize money with Arum expecting the upcoming Horn fight to draw 3,000 to 4,000 Filipinos whether it would be staged Down Under or the Middle East on April 23 or in the US on April 22.
Meanwhile, it was also bared yesterday that talks are also on between Arum and fellow promoter Eddie Heart for a fight involving Pacquiao and IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook as part of the Filipino icon?s world tour.
But the media will be kept out of it, according to Pacquiao?s longtime adviser, Mike Koncz.
?We will not negotiate on the media. We will discuss privately with Bob Arum,? Koncz told The STAR yesterday.
Arum has sealed the deal with Duco Events the other day for a fight pitting the Filipino superstar against Horn. Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
In a press conference in Brisbane the other day, it was bared that $10 million will be raised for the fight and should be enough to stage it.
Pacquiao is to receive half of the amount as his guaranteed purse.
But Koncz is not satisfied with the amount, and said, ?We have not agreed to anything.?
Asked how much should be enough for Pacquiao to face Horn, Koncz said it?s no longer for the media to know.
But whatever the amount is, it can?t get anything near the $20 million, which Pacquiao had demanded for him to face the undefeated light-welterweight champion Terence Crawford.
Arum, 85, also did not bare any details regarding the money other than saying that the fight will be the biggest in Australian boxing history.
The tour should consist of three fights to as many as four, one that would take Pacquiao to Russia by July, the United Kingdom by September and the United States for the last fight by December.
Meanwhile, the Brook fight could take place in the United Kingdom in the third quarter of the year.
?I have been speaking with Bob Arum about a Kell Brook versus Manny Pacquiao fight,? Hearn said in an interview with Sky Sports.
?We are ready to go with that right now, but I think they like the idea of fighting Horn first, so we will now try and work for an autumn fight,? he added. ? With report from Dino Maragay/Philstar.com
