Manny Pacquiao will make the first defense of his WBO world welterweight championship against Jeff Horn in Brisbane, Australia, at 9 p.m. ET Saturday (on ESPN and the ESPN app). This will be Horn?s first world title fight.
Horn, a relative unknown, was a quarterfinalist in the 2012 Olympics for the Australian national team. His debut as a pro came in 2013, and he spent part of his career as a P.E. teacher while he pursued boxing. Horn has knocked out six of his last 10 opponents.
Pacquiao has fought in five countries — China, the United States, Japan, Philippines and Thailand — and will make his first trip to Australia for his bout with Horn.
Since becoming a senator in the Philippines, Pacquiao has hinted at retirement several times. His legacy appears cemented regardless of what he does in the future.
He has been named the BWAA Fighter of the Year three times, tied with Floyd Mayweather, Evander Holyfield, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for most all-time. Pacquiao has won titles in eight weight classes, most all-time.
In the ring, Pacquiao was known for his high punch output for most of his career. He struggled in his fight with Mayweather in 2015, landing 81 punches. Although he hasn?t regained his high fighting pace, Pacquiao has been much more accurate since his loss. Manny Pacquiao’s accuracy has jumped since facing Floyd Mayweather ESPN Stats & Information
In his last three fights, Horn has been the more active and accurate fighter compared with Pacquiao over his last five fights. Horn has landed 23.5 punches per round over his last three, whereas Pacquiao has landed 13 punches per round over his last five.
Horn, however, hasn?t fought anyone close to Pacquiao?s level. The one former champion Horn defeated, Randall Bailey, was 41 years old at the time.
As of Thursday, Pacquiao is the favorite at minus-650, according to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook. Horn is the underdog at plus-475.
