BRISBANE is set to host the biggest world boxing title fight in Australian history after a multimillion-dollar partnership deal was struck overnight between the Queensland Government, Brisbane City Council and Suncorp Stadium.
Eleven-time world champion Manny Pacquiao ? named as the fighter of the decade ? will take on Brisbane schoolteacher Jeff Horn for the undisputed WBC world welterweight championship at Suncorp Stadium on April 23.
The world?s biggest boxing promoter Bob Arum, representing Pacquiao, and Horn?s management team Duco Events are expected to finalise negotiations this week after convincing government authorities of the merits of having such a massive international event in the state?s capital.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said yesterday she was in Horn?s corner, Tourism and Major Events Minister Kate Jones said she was confident the bout would bring in millions of dollars to the state economy and thousands of interstate and international visitors to Queensland.
?I?m hopeful that all three partners will now step into the ring to deliver this fight,?? Ms Jones said.
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the bout would help position Brisbane as a ?global new world city?.
The fight has attracted attention from Melbourne?s Etihad Stadium and from oil-rich Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but Dean Lonergan from Duco Events said having the fight in Brisbane would be the best outcome possible for the event.
?Jeff is a Brisbane boy and having the fight on the world stage in the Sunshine State would be a dream come true for him,? Mr Lonergan said.
?We have an agreement with Pacquiao?s promoter Bob Arum and Pacquiao is right across that.
?We just need to make sure that we have the money in place to be able to meet the financial demands of what is required.??
Duco Events executive Jim Banaghan flagged the possibility of the fight earlier this month.
They are confident of filling the big Brisbane stadium. Pacquiao, who is also a leading Filipino politician, is pushing for a purse in excess of $7 million.
Mr Lonergan is confident the bout will draw 50,000 people for what he says is a ?once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one of the greatest boxers of all time??.
Horn said fighting Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium would be ?more than a dream come true?.
?It?s bigger than anything I could have dreamed about when I took up boxing,?? he said.
?The support of the crowd in Brisbane might just be the difference between winning and losing for me.??
