There have been reports last week stating that the fight between Manny Pacquiao and former schoolteacher in Brisbane, Jeff Horn, is a go on April 23 at the Suncorp Stadium.
However, a week has passed since the supposed confirmation, the Filipino boxing icon has yet to sign the contract for the fight.
Reports have it that the financial adviser of the eight-division world champion was disappointed that Pacquiao shall be getting only $5 million for the bout with Jeff Horn which is paltry compared to the Pacman’s last few bouts including the staggering $100 million paycheck for his losing fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015.
Accordingly, his financial adviser has told him not to sign anything until there is more cash on the table.
While Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum said in a recent interview that it would be wrong to reveal Manny’s purse as such matters were confidential, Mike Koncz, Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser, said he was aghast’ when he heard the figure of $US5 million at Horn’s press conference last week announcing the fight.
Koncz revealed that Manny even asked him if he agreed to that and he told him that of course not because Pacquiao knows him better than that.
A lucrative career
Pacquiao has had a lucrative career in boxing, having earned almost US$400 million from the sport over the last 22 years
Koncz said the reported purse of $US5m was not enough given the Filipino’s stature and drawing power, reports News.com.au.
The Queensland Government is expected to announce its financial support for the Suncorp fight, which will lure an estimated TV audience of a billion people in 159 countries.
Bob Arum said that if Pacquiao would insist on getting more money, he might price himself out of the bout again, the same way that happened with the negotiation with the camp of American Terrence Crawford.
He said the $US20m Crawford demand had come for a fight on American pay-per-view but that a Horn fight would be shown in the US on free-to-air television, attracting a much smaller fee.
But Arum said there was no truth to the $US5m reports, adding that the real figure that Pacquiao was just between him and Manny.
Arum said he was planning a trip to the Philippines to have Pacquiao sign the deal as soon as all financial arrangements had been agreed.
Reports from Land Down Under
Last week, there were reports from the Land Down Under saying that Pacquiao is confirmed to fight Jeff Horn
As if from out of nowhere, it has been reported that Pacquiao will be defending his WBO welterweight championship belt against Jeff Horn.
More importantly, the fight will be held in Australia, much to the delight of the Australians as they would love to see the legendary fighting Senator from the Philippines on their shores for the very first time.
At 38 years old, Manny Pacquiao is regarded as a world boxing celebrity with 11 world titles in a career that has lasted 22 years.
Meanwhile, Jeff Horn is 28 years old and is a former teacher at Brisbane’s Pallara State School near Forest Lake and is Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk’s second cousin, that is, the son of Cr Quirk’s cousin.
In a recent pronouncement, Cr Quirk said that Manny Pacquiao is a legend in the boxing world and that the Filipino boxing icon is probably the biggest boxing name in the world right now.
He earned $100 million for a May 2015 bout against Floyd Mayweather, billed as “The Fight of the Century” and reportedly donated some of the winnings to hospitals in the Philippines.
Brisbane-born Horn, the kind-talking, tough welterweight is the No. 2 contender to Pacquiao’s crown after turning professional in 2013, reports ABC.net of Australia.
As Suncorp Stadium has reportedly earned the right to host the fight, Brisbane would host one of 2017’s landmark sporting events. Pundits are predicting almost 50,000 could turn up to see the fight.