Brisbane, June 28: Manny Pacquiao’s world title fight with Jeff Horn will be ‘short and sweet’ with a knockout likely, his trainer predicted here Wednesday, as his Australian challenger said he was ‘ready for war’.
The legendary Filipino, one of the greatest fighters of his generation, is widely tipped to triumph over the unbeaten Horn in front of an expected 50,000 people at the Suncorp Stadium here Sunday.
“He (Manny) doesn’t like to predict knockouts and so forth but I think it is going to be short and sweet,” trainer Freddie Roach told reporters at a press conference ahead of the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) welterweight bout. “I think it won’t last too long and someone will get knocked out.” Obviously, he was not referring to man nicknamed ManPaq by the media.
Roach suggested the fight was a stepping stone for the eight-weight World Champion to secure a rematch with American rival Floyd Mayweather, who outpointed Pacquiao in the ‘Fight of the Century’ two years ago. Horn’s camp hit back, with the former schoolteacher’s promoters taking a dig at Pacquiao for spending most of the press conference looking at his mobile phone.
“Not only is Manny Pacquiao an 11-time World Champion… he is also a World Champion texter, because he never gets off his bloody phone,” Dean Lonergan said. Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton accused Pacquiao’s camp of said the so-called ‘Battle of Brisbane’ would become the ‘fight of the year’. AFP