Expect to see Manny Pacquiao in the ring again with Jeff Horn later this year.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN on Friday that Pacquiao plans to exercise his contractual right to pursue a rematch with Horn following a controversial loss in July.
“Manny doesn’t want to retire. He wants the rematch, so we are going to do the rematch,” Arum told ESPN. “Manny told me he wants to do the rematch, but now we are looking for the window that satisfies the Senate. We need to see when they have a recess that will allow Manny the time he needs to train and have the fight.”
Pacquiao, who serves in the Senate of the Philippines, is targeting a November date and the rematch would take place in Australia, as did the first fight on July 2. The fight was in Horn’s hometown of Brisbane and Pacquiao appeared to be the better tactician and landed far more punches than Horn.
But the three judges issued a stunning unanimous decision in Horn’s favor and awarded the bout and the WBO welterweight championship belt to Horn.
Arum said Pacquiao, who is the only eigtht-division world champion in boxing history, has a November date in mind because that is when the Phillipines Senate will be in recess. Arum also has to check with ESPN, which aired the first fight, to see which November dates would work best.
“Once I have an answer from the Senate when they have their recess, I will go to my partner in Australia, Duco [Events], and we will figure out where we’re going to do the fight,” Arum said. “[The state of] Queensland has certain rights from hosting the first fight, but we need to figure out where the fight will be. The problem is we can’t have it outdoors again because of the weather. November is the summer there, and it’s brutal to do it outdoors. We can’t do it. Even in July, which is their winter, it was pretty hot outdoors.”
Though Horn called out Floyd Mayweather after his decision over Pacquiao, he did say he’d love a rematch with Pacquiao.
“I think the first fight was an excellent fight. It was competitive and [Horn] feels emboldened, and I think it will be a very good fight again,” Arum added. “And now Horn is known much more in the United States after that fight.”
