Horn camp still hopeful for Pacquiao fight in Australia

MANILA, Philippines – Top Rank Inc., and not Manny Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz, will have the final say on the venue for the Filipino icon’s fight this April.

This is the belief of Dean Lonergan, founder of Duco Events, which represents Australian boxer Jeff Horn, once the frontrunner to be Pacquiao’s next opponent.

In a recent report by the Australian Associated Press, Lonergan reacted to Koncz’s declaration that Pacquiao’s next bout will be held in the United Arab Emirates.

The news, if it turns out to be true, will quash Lonergan and his team’s effort to bring the Pacquiao-Horn fight in Brisbane, Horn’s hometown.

But the Duco official, whose team has been in touch with Bob Arum the past days, said it’s not yet over.

“Michael Koncz has looked at other options, and he is well within his rights to do so,” Lonergan said.

“But Top Rank will still make the final call in consultation with Manny,” he added.

For now, the UAE seems to have the upperhand after Pacquiao himself tweeted that his next fight will be staged there.

Even Horn’s chances to land a date with the Filipino icon may be in peril after a poll put up by Pacquiao himself on Twitter shows that Horn is the least preferred by fans.

Who do you want me to fight next in the UAE?

— Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) February 12, 2017

As of posting time, British fighter Amir Khan is the top choice by Pacquiao’s Twitter followers, garnering 48 percent of more than 44,000 votes. Khan’s compatriot and welterweight titleholder Kell Brook is at second with 24 percent, followed by rising star Terence Crawford with 21 percent.

Horn, who is virtually unheard of before he was mentioned as a likely opponent for Pacquiao, only got 7 percent of the votes.

Lonergan, for his part, remains confident that his ward will win the Pacquiao sweepstakes, saying he will come up with the final details for the fight “within the next seven days.”

“The battle of Brisbane has begun long before a punch has been thrown,” he said.