By Chris Williams: Manny Pacquiao’s Tweet last weekend asking his many followers to pick out his next opponent for a fight in the United Arab Emirates doesn’t appear to be discouraging the promoters for Australian welterweight contender Jeff Horn, as they still believe that he’ll be the next opponent for the Filipino fighter.
They also believe that the fight will be taking place in Horn’s hometown at the Suncorps Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.
Horn came in last place in the poll on Pacquiao’s Twitter account. Pacquiao had asked the boxing fans to pick from these choices: Jeff Horn Amir Khan, Kell Brook and Terence Crawford. Khan came in first in the poll at 48%, Kell Brook at 24%, Terence Crawford 21% and Horn in last place at 7%. You have to wonder what Arum is thinking at seeing Horn in fourth place and Crawford at third to last.
Arum wants to match Pacquiao against Crawford in the near future. But if the boxing fans would rather see Pacquiao fight Brook and Khan, then what does that tell you about Crawford? If Pacquiao’s PPV numbers are dropping, you have to look at the match-making that’s being done for him at this point in his career. Many of the boxing fans do not understand why Arum wants to match Pacquiao against guys like Horn.
That tells you something. It also opens up a lot of questions about why Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum wants him to fight Jeff Horn. What’s the interest for Arum in picking a guy that the fans aren’t interested in seeing Pacquiao fight? For that matter, why did Arum match Pacquiao against Jessie Vargas and Tim Bradley in his last two fights rather than putting him in with popular fighters that the fans would be more inclined to see him fight?
“Michael Koncz has looked at other options, and he is well within his rights to do so,” Horn’s promoter Dean Longergan of Duco promoter said to sbs.com.au. “But Top Rank will still make the final call in consultation with Manny. The battle of Brisbane has begun long before a punch has been thrown.”
Lonergan sounds pretty confident that Horn will be facing Pacquiao. Is it Arum’s call for Pacquiao to have to face Horn or does he have a choice in the matter? How does the Horn fight benefit Pacquiao if there’s little interest in that fight in the U.S? Will the PPV money from Australian make up for what Pacquiao loses from the lack of interest in the U.S PPV market? A lot of boxing fans are totally confused by this choice of opponent for Pacquiao. Out of all the welterweights in the division for Pacquiao to fight, why would he fight someone like Horn instead of a popular fighter? Pacquiao could fight guys like Adrian Broner, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia, Kell Brook, Keith Thurman or Amir Khan. If Pacquiao loses to Horn, then what happens to him?
Does Arum try and turn Horn into a PPV star in the U.S? Having seen Horn fight, I don’t see the talent there with the guys. He was knocked down by 43-year-old Randall Bailey and 38-year-old Ali Funeka in his last two fights. With Horn getting knocked down from old guys like those two fighters, it doesn’t bode well for his future even if he beats the 38-year-old Pacquiao.
If Pacquiao doesn’t want the Horn fight, then he should be assertive and tell Arum that he’s not interested in the fight. Pacquiao should tell Arum exactly who he prefers to fight, and then make sure that he’s in on the calls when he’s ringing up the promoters for the different fighters. After all, Pacquiao is a politician in the Philippines now. He should be involved in the selection process.