GENERAL SANTOS CITY ? Come July 2, world eight-division boxing champion and current World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight king Manny Pacquiao will be fighting again a much younger and hungrier fighter in Jeff Horn, an undefeated Australian slugger.
The 29 year old Horn totes a ring record of 16 wins and one draw with 11 knockouts.
Horn competed in the 2012 London Olympics but lost his quarterfinals match against Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk.
Horn made his professional debut in Altona North, Victoria, Australia on March 1, 2013, winning a 2nd-round technical knockout against Jody Allen.
When asked whether age has finally taken its toll on him as a boxer, Pacquiao replied ?Age? Oh, it?s nothing but just a number.?
Pacquiao added ?Sa edad ko, nagagawa ko ang mga ginagawa nang mas bata sa atin. Ang tanong, nagagawa ba nang mas bata sa akin ang mga ginagawa ko lalo na sa training at sa loob ng ring??
Pacquiao claimed that his advantages over his opponent include, among others, ring experience and speed.
The Filipino boxing legend was not bothered even a bit by a possible raucous home crowd at the huge Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.
The Tourism Department of Australia reported that a month before the Pacquiao-Horn fight, more than 40,000 fight tickets were already sold.
?Fighting in an opponent?s turf is not a problem to me. A huge crowd cheering for my opponent will just motivate me further. When we climb atop the ring, only the two of us will trade vicious punches. So, I feel it?s never an advantage on the part of my opponent,? Pacquiao said.
The boxer-senator will make his first title defense of the WBO Welterweight belt which he wrested from Mexican-American boxer Jessie Vargas in November last year.
From Gensan, Pacquiao and his entourage will fly directly to Australia aboard a 350-seater plane tentatively on June 24.
The same aircraft will transport the whole Pacquiao entourage from Australia back to Gensan a day after the fight.
Pacman doing the abdominal exercise at the Acharon Sports Complex in Gensan Tuesday morning (top photo) and jogs accompanied by one of his sparring mates George Kambosos, Jr. and wife Jinkee (below photos). Photos by Aquiles Z. Zonio.
Photo by Aquiles Z. Zonio.
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