Tim Tszyu made a statement by stopping former world champion Jeff Horn after the 8th round of a scheduled 10-round junior middleweight clash of popular Australian fighters at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

Tszyu was dominant as he imposed his physicality early in the fight.

In round three, Tszyu dropped Horn with a left hand to the head.

In round six, Tszyu landed two hard right that backed Horn up. Tszyu followed up with a left to the body that put Horn down to a knee. Tszyu continued to beat up Horn as he started landing more crushing body shots and hard rights to the head. Finally Horn’s corner pulled their man from any more punishment following the 8th round.

Tszyu, 152 1/4 lbs is now 16-0 with 12 knockouts. Horn, 153 1/2 lbs is now 20-3-1.

Hardman stops Weetch in 1st

Issac Hardman stopped Jamie Weetch in the 1st round of their scheduled eight-round middleweight bout.

Hardman scored a vicious knockdown when he landed a perfect counter right to chin as Weetch was throwing a left hook. Weetch was hurt badly, but continued and ate a hard barrage of punches that was highlighted by two hard rights and lefts, and the fight was stopped as Weetch went down again as his corner threw in the towel at 2:20.

Hardman, 159 1/4 lbs is now 7-0 with six knockouts. Weetch, 159 1/4 lbs is 12-4.

Wilson stops Woods in 2

Liam Wilson remained undefeated by stopping Jackson Woods in round two of a scheduled eight-round lightweight contest.

After getting rocked in the opening seconds of the fight, Wilson came back in the round, and put Woods down with a hard right. In round two, it was an inside left hand to the body that put Woods down, and the fight was stopped at 2:42.

Wilson, 132 3/4 lbs is now 7-0 with five knockouts. Woods, 132 1/4 lbs is 4-2-1.

O’Connell stops Fulmer in 7

Shannon O’Connell stopped previously undefeated Kylie Fulmer in round seven of a scheduled eight-round super bantamweight fight.

In round five, Fulmer began to bleed from her nose. O’Connell dominated, and as the fight wore on continued to land heavy shots. In round seven, O’Connell landed a left hook that snapped the head of Fulmer and drove to the ropes, which held her up, and the fight was stopped at 29 seconds.

O’Connell, 121 lbs is 19-6-1 with 10 knockouts. Fulmer, 122 lbs is 7-1.

Camilleri decisions Copland

Joel Camilleri won a eight-round unanimous decision over Adam Copland in a middleweight bout.

In round two, Camilleri landed a big right that hurt Copland A follow up right put Copland on the canvas.

Camilleri, 158 1/4 lbs won by scores of 79-73 twice and 78-73 and is now 19-6-1. Copland, 159 1/2 lbs is 5-2.

(August 21, 2020) —Australia’s most anticipated fistic showdown in years has an American streaming home.
 
Former welterweight world champion and Manny Pacquiao conqueror Jeff “The Hornet” Horn will face Tim Tszyu in a 10-round junior middleweight bout Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, Australia. A socially distanced crowd of more than 16,000 fans are expected for Horn-Tszyu, which will headline a special edition of Breakfast and Boxing exclusively on ESPN+ (5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT).
 
Horn (20-2-1, 13 KOs), from Brisbane, toppled Pacquiao in July 2017 via unanimous decision to win the WBO welterweight world title. Horn-Pacquiao, the Top Rank on ESPN series premier, peaked at 4.4 million viewers. Horn defended his title once before losing via ninth-round stoppage to Terence “Bud” Crawford in June 2018. He is 2-1 since the Crawford loss, most recently splitting a pair of action classics against countryman Michael Zerafa in 2019.
 
Tszyu (15-0, 11 KO), the Sydney-born son of legendary former world champion Kostya Tszyu, returns from a nearly nine-month layoff. He graduated from prospect to contender in 2019, closing out the year in December with a fourth-round TKO over Jack Brubaker that streamed live on ESPN+. 
 
“In my career, what I’ve accomplished and what I’m doing, my dad doesn’t play much of a role. I do my own stuff,” Tszyu told ESPN recently. “He taught me one thing and that’s work ethic, because of that I am who I am. If you want to succeed you have to put in the work.
 
“I’m proud of what my dad achieved. He’s the greatest boxer in Australian and Russian sports history. I do everything that he’s done. There’s a blueprint. If I could do half of what he did, I’m going to be a great in this sport.”
 
The Horn-Tszyu stream will also include unbeaten junior lightweight prospect Liam Wilson (6-0, 4 KOs) against Jackson Woods (4-1-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-rounder, former Australian 154-pound champion Joel Camilleri (18-6-1, 8 KOs) versus Adam Copland (5-1, 3 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight bout, and Australian middleweight prospect Issac “The Headsplitter” Hardman (6-0, 5 KOs ) against seven-year veteran Jamie Weetch (12-3, 5 KOs) in a six-rounder.
 
Lewis Crocker-Louis Greene Headlines #MTKFightNight Following Horn-Tszyu
 
The action continues Wednesday on ESPN+ at  2 p.m. ET, as MTK Global returns with a closed-door card from Production Park Studios in Wakefield, England. In the 10-round main event, Belfast’s Lewis “The Croc” Crocker will battle Louis Greene for the vacant WBO European welterweight title.
 
Crocker (11-0, 6 KOs) is making his headlining debut in his first scheduled 10-round assignment. He last fought Feb. 1 at Belfast’s historic Ulster Hall, where he notched an eight-round decision over John Thain. Greene (12-1, 7 KOs) has won three fights in a row since a unanimous decision defeat to Larry Ekundayo for the IBF European welterweight title.
 
In other action on the Crocker-Greene stream, British and Commonwealth bantamweight champion Lee McGregor (8-0, 6 KOs) moves up to junior featherweight to fight Ryan Walker (11-1, 2 KOs) in a 10-rounder; junior welterweight prospect Gary Cully (10-0, 5 KOs) takes on Craig Woodruff (10-5, 4 KOs) in an eight-round junior welterweight tilt; middleweight Fearghus Quinn turns pro in a six-rounder against Robbie Chapman (6-3, 0 KOs); and Darren Tetley (20-0, 9 KOs) fights Liam Taylor (21-1-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-round British welterweight title eliminator.
 
August 23: Kazakh Amateur Superstar to Make Pro Debut at Cruiserweight
 
MTK Global presents a special Sunday show live from Almaty, Kazakhstan, which will showcase the professional debut of former Kazakh amateur superstar Kamshybek Kunkabayev. The two-time World Championships silver medalist (2017 & 2019), will make his professional debut in an eight-round cruiserweight bout against Issa Akberbayev (20-1, 15 KOs). Kunkabayev also won a pair of Asian Championships silver medals, while Akberbayev, a 6-foot-3 puncher who currently resides in Almaty, hopes to rebound from his first career defeat.
 
The scheduled five-fight stream kicks off on ESPN+ at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT and also includes:

• Lightweight contender Viktor Kotochigov (11-0, 4 KOs), who defended the WBC International belt last December, will fight Belarusian veteran Andrei Isayeu (30-17, 9 KOs) in a 10-rounder.

• In an eight-round junior middleweight bout, 2019 Asian Championships gold medalist and 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Tursynbay Kulakhmet will make his pro debut against former amateur star Sagadat Rakhmankul (6-1, 4 KOs), who has won three consecutive fights since his lone pro defeat.
   
• In an eight-round clash of undefeated middleweights, Abay Tolesh (5-0, 3 KOs) will take on southpaw Saparbay Aidarov (4-0, 2 KOs).
   
• Nurtas Azhbenov (9-0, 4 KOs), who has won three of his last four via first-round stoppage, will fight Shovkat Khalilov (7-2, 1 KO) in an eight-rounder at junior welterweight.

About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service from Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to 8.5 million subscribers, offering fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, as well as premium editorial content. 
 
Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

(Nov. 27, 2018) — The latest edition of Breakfast and Boxing on ESPN+ will be streamed live from Down Under this Friday, as former welterweight world champion Jeff “The Hornet” Horn and former two-time super middleweight world champion Anthony “The Man” Mundine will settle a long-simmering Australian grudge match in a 12-rounder from Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. The ESPN+ stream will begin at 3:30 a.m. ET, with Horn and Mundine expected to enter the ring at approximately 6:30 a.m. ET.

Horn vs. Mundine will be contested at a catchweight of 71 kilograms (156.5 pounds), with Mundine’s WBO Oriental and the vacant WBA Oceania middleweight titles on the line.

Horn (18-1-1, 12 KOs) burst onto the world boxing scene in 2017 with a year for the ages. In front of more than 50,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium on a sunny July day, he defeated living legend Manny Pacquiao by close unanimous decision to win the WBO welterweight world title. A former teacher who represented Australia at the 2012 Olympics, Horn defended his title later that year with an 11th-round TKO against Gary Corcoran. Horn’s good fortune finally ran out June 9 in Las Vegas against pound-for-pound elite Terence “Bud” Crawford, who snagged Horn’s belt via dominating ninth-round TKO.

Mundine (48-8, 28 KOs), a 43-year-old former professional Australian rugby player, turned pro in 2000 following a limited amateur career. His professional career has been a fascinating one, as he’s fought as low as super welterweight and as high as cruiserweight. Mundine first captured the WBA super middleweight world title in 2003 with a unanimous decision victory against Antwun Echols, defending the title once before a split decision loss to Manny Siaca. He knocked out countryman Sam Soliman in the ninth round on March 7, 2007 to win the WBA super middleweight world title for second time. Since then, he has taken part in some of Australia’s most high-profile boxing events, including a 2013 TKO win against future Hall of Famer Shane Mosley. Mundine rebounded from a 1-3 skid on Jan. 17, knocking out Tommy Browne in the second round.

In undercard action, Australian welterweight contender Cameron “The Hammer” Hammond (17-1, 9 KOs) will take on Frank Rojas (23-1, 22 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the WBA Oceania welterweight title. Australian super featherweight champion Brent Rice (8-0, 2 KOs) will make the second defense of his belt against Liam Wilson (2-0, 2 KOs) in a 10-rounder, and middleweight prospect Ben Mahoney (5-0, 2 KOs) will step up in class versus Adrian Rodriguez (11-1-2, 5 KOs) in a five-round clash.

To subscribe to ESPN+, visit www.plus.espn.com.

About ESPN+
ESPN+, which surpassed one million paying subscribers in just five months, is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It offers fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports), domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie and more), exclusive Top Rank boxing, UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App, the leading sports app and the premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans. The ESPN App is a showcase of the company’s culture of innovation, delivering a rich, personalized experience that curates all of ESPN’s content around each fan’s individual tastes. ESPN+ is also available through ESPN.com.

In a battle of Australian former world champions, Jeff Horn will meet Anthony Mundine on November 30th, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“There is pressure because I am the favorite. I will need to be convincing, but he has had his time, and now it is my time to take over,” Horn said. “I am surprised his career is still going, but hopefully this will be his last fight. Mundine is an opponent who has been on the radar for quite a while, but we have made him wait in the background for some time, which I know has been frustrating for him. Now is the right time. I don’t like giving knockout predictions, but every fight I try to end early. It’s like time off work early.”

“The fight is on,” Mundine wrote on social media. “Y’all don’t wanna miss this! Ima keep rewriting history.”

Glenn Rushton, Horn’s trainer, said he wants his fighter to knock Mundine out.

“I want Jeff to dazzle in this fight. It’s a big ask, and I have put a lot of pressure on him,” Rushton said. “Jeff keeps saying, ‘Don’t tell me to knock him out in this round.’ He doesn’t like that added pressure, but I am putting pressure on him to deliver. This is a tough fight as far as comeback fights go. We are fighting a bigger man, going up two divisions. It’s a massive challenge, but Anthony has been taunting us for some time, but now it’s on. We will be ready.”

Manny Pacquiao exercised his rematch clause and could face Jeff Horn in November, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“Manny doesn’t want to retire. He wants the rematch, so we are going to do the rematch,” promoter Bob 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.”

“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.”

Arum said venues in Brisbane and Sydney will be considered, and once the availability of venues is known, he will go to ESPN “and see if the date is in accord with the network’s schedule. But we’ll do the fight again with our partners at ESPN. The good thing is, in Australia they don’t mind if the fight is on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, so if it’s on a Saturday afternoon in Australia, it’s a Friday night in the United States.”

“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 said. “And now Horn is known much more in the United States after that fight.”

By Norm Frauenheim-

A contentious blame game in the wake – and we do mean wake – of Manny Pacquiao’s controversial loss to Jeff Horn is almost as regrettable as it is predictable. Above all, it’s all too familiar.

It’s the acrimonious noise that always seems to be there at the end of a legendary career. It’s as if few could foresee the ride was headed for a crashing conclusion. In hindsight, I suspect Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum did. He issued a warning few days before last weekend’s opening bell Down Under, saying that Horn could really fight.

It sounded like a warning, Arum’s way of saying that Pacquiao might lose if he wasn’t ready for a real fight. By now, we know he wasn’t. Argue about the scorecards all you want. On this one, Pacquiao was a 115-113 winner.

But I didn’t see the robbery that was so loudly alleged at ringside. Neither did Arum. Turns out, neither did Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, who in the aftermath of Horn’s 115-113, 117-111, 115-113 decision hinted at a less than satisfactory training camp and a fighter with energies divided between the gym and the Filipino Senate.

“To me, they were so overconfident going in — [conditioning coach] Justin Fortune tells the press that the only way Horn can win is if Manny trips going into the ring,’’ Arum told the Los Angeles Times a couple of day after the welterweight bout in Brisbane. “I had seen the kid. I told everybody he was a big, tough kid who could take a punch. I didn’t think he’d beat Manny, but it wasn’t the same Manny.”

It wasn’t. Truth is, Pacquiao hasn’t been the same Manny since his last stoppage in 2009, a 12th-round TKO of Miguel Cotto. Eight years are a career for some fighters. For Pacquiao, the power drought represents a drip-drip-drip in an erosion of an identity created by astonishing stoppages of Erik Morales, Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya. We had waited for that defining characteristic to reappear. But it never did, not against Brandon Rios or even Chris Algieri.

A great fighter without a stoppage over nearly eight years is bound to lose a few on the fickle scorecards. It happened against Timothy Bradley in 2012. To a lesser degree, it happened again in Australia, where it appeared Pacquiao was poised to finish it after a ferocious beating of Horn in the ninth, yet didn’t in the 10th simply because it just isn’t in him and hasn’t been for a while.

From religion to politics – there were different interests. From partying to gambling, there was a different lifestyle. He had changed, changed for good and forever. Still generous and likeable, the old instinct was gone. Inevitably, the physical reflexes would begin to go, too.

I don’t need a rematch to see whether Pacquiao can still be Manny. There’ll be a sequel with Horn if he decides to exercise his contracted right to one. But are we really going to see something more from a fighter whose decline has been evident for so long?

Imagine if Pacquiao had escaped with a scorecard victory over Horn in Las Vegas instead of Australia. Even in victory, there would still be the same doubts about whether he should continue, especially if that meant a fight against Terence Crawford. But his performance the workman-like Horn is proof that a fight against the emerging Crawford would be a sad end to a Pacquiao career as dramatic and colorful as any.

As of Thursday, there was no word on whether Pacquiao would fight on. I take that as good news. But I fear he’ll be tempted by one more bite at the financial apple. He’ll never be able to make as much as he did in the ring. In the political business, he’ll never have as much money as he needs. That means he’ll always be tempted.

But I prefer to remember Pacquiao when he was the Manny with one punch that launched Hatton so high that I could see the bottom of the Brit’s shoes from my ringside seat. I’ll remember the Manny who made De La Hoya quit after eight rounds.

I can only hope Pacquiao recalls what De La Hoya said on that December 6th night in 2008. After the fight was stopped, De La Hoya crossed the ring and told Roach, his old trainer: “You’re right, Freddie. I don’t have it anymore.’’

De La Hoya was 35 then. Pacquiao is 38 today.

“My heart still wants to fight, that’s for sure,” De La Hoya said then. “But when your (body) doesn’t respond, what can you do?”

Retire.

By Jimmy Tobin-

Welterweights Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn met at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday night in a fight broadcast by ESPN; a fight that delivered an outcome in keeping with the off-brand look of the production and cacophony of inane commentary typical of a network that for so long was in the glorified club fight business. Horn was awarded a unanimous decision over Pacquiao, the most absurd one yet hung on the aging Filipino, though not so heinous that that title too couldn’t one day change hands.

There was once a nostalgic quality to the aged Pacquiao’s performances; all those signature moves, however diminished in their effect, conjured memories of the excitement his arrival, his ascension to dominance, the mania his very presence at LAX or in the Wild Card parking lot, once produced. Nostalgia too for a period when fighters identified as such; when there were fewer reasons to consider boxing a business or show interest in the machinations that delivered or failed to deliver this fight or that; when there were spectacles of consequence and futurity and an endgame still discernible in the wayward paths.

Granted there is some historical bias at work here (this is what nostalgia does) and any sober examination of the years before Pacquiao’s decline would reveal a sport as charmingly flawed and frustrating as ever. Indeed, a number of boxing’s more modern malaises can be traced back to Pacquiao, in particular, the fight that more than any other made managers and promoters of us all, made contract negotiations an acceptable substitute for the fight itself, and proved actively lowering expectations brings scant penalty to those responsible.

But it was only because he remained a relatively close approximation of his former self that Pacquiao could have this mnemonic effect (compare, for example, what feelings are elicited by the sad spectacle of Roy Jones Jr., or how tedious Bernard Hopkins, former executioner, became in the later years of his career). Yet despite deserving the victory, Pacquiao produced little of that nostalgia against Horn. Yes, his ring walk was rich in its usual levity, and Pacquiao flashed genuine relish at his opponent’s aggression, but his legs, and with them his accuracy and timing, have left him. So too, it looked, has some of his fighting joy, perhaps a casualty of where his career has been navigated in recent years. In an open air stadium in Australia, under the ruthless afternoon sun, against an opponent whose every forearm, headlock, and half-nelson was cheered—and this mess televised for free on ESPN? Even someone as sanguine as Pacquiao must have wondered how he ended up in such a state.

And then the scores were read.

In writing about bogus decisions like the one delivered at Suncorp Stadium, courtesy dictates one bestow a charitable judgment on the efforts of the victor; the goal being to separate the fighter from the scorecards he did not produce. One need only remember how Timothy Bradley fared in the aftermath of his reviled decision over Pacquiao to see the importance of not holding the fighter responsible for the judges’ appraisal.

Very well.

Did the punch stat numbers, overwhelmingly favoring Pacquiao, misrepresent the competitiveness of the fight? A bit. Human error corrupts their tally and they capture neither force nor effect; such stats are often only as credible as they are convenient. Is Joe Tessitore a fool for struggling to understand how a fighter nearly stopped could nevertheless win a decision? Yes (or maybe he’s just a loyal employee). Could the opinions of slowly emptying balloons Teddy Atlas and Stephen A. Smith promote controversy where there might not be any? Certainly. (Though if there is anything Atlas’ deafening lunacy engenders it is an urge to disagree. He makes for hypercritical if not antagonistic listeners, a fact that hurts more than helps the fighter he is endorsing. Smith probably does the same).

In the ring, Horn comported himself admirably in the biggest fight of his career (no meager compliment, that). The Pacquiao of even last year probably beats Horn conclusively, but on Saturday this smoldering version of the Filipino looked as far removed from his incendiary peak as he ever has, and Horn should claim some credit for that. Let him have it, then. And let him confirm his supposed potency against another top opponent—the decision, however dubious, must be reckoned with, and Horn, however undeserving, is for now belted and consequential.

Pacquiao-Horn played out similarly to Roman Gonzalez’ fight with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai earlier this year. The smaller fighter faced adversity early, fought through cuts from headbutts to wrest control of the action, nearly scored a stoppage in the later rounds, and lost not so much to his opponent as to the optics of blood and the larger man’s incessant aggression, to the rationale that an unheralded opponent should be rewarded for outperforming expectations.

Such factors should not victors of Rungvisai or Horn make, but incompetence in a sport like boxing is impossible to insulate against. Still, since neither Gonzalez nor Pacquiao was interested in grabbing a pitchfork and lighting a torch neither should we. Not when laughing is so much easier.

ESPN’s live telecast Saturday, July 1, of the “Battle of Brisbane” (10 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET) averaged a total live audience (television and streaming) of 3.1 million viewers across the ESPN and ESPN Deportes networks, according to Fast National ratings from Nielsen. It was the highest-rated and most-watched boxing telecast on cable television since 2006 and ESPN’s highest-rated boxing telecast since 1995.
The WBO World Welterweight Championship main event between Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs), the Filipino legend and boxing’s only eight-division world champion, against undefeated No. 1 contender and Brisbane’s favorite son Jeff “The Hornet” Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs) (12 midnight to 1 a.m. ET) peaked during the final half hour of their fight with 4.4 million viewers across both networks. Horn defeated Pacquiao by a controversial unanimous decision.
ESPN
On ESPN, the telecast averaged a 1.6 household rating and 2,812,000 viewers, making it the highest-rated and most-watched boxing telecast on cable TV since 2006. Carlos Baldomir vs. Arturo Gatti on HBO on July 22, 2006, earned a 1.6 household rating.
“The Battle of Brisbane” was also the highest-rated boxing telecast on ESPN’s networks since 1995. Danell Nicholson vs. Darren Hayden on ESPN, on December 21, 1995 earned a 1.7 household rating.
Highest Ratings for Boxing Telecasts on Cable in Last 10 Years
DATE
NETWORK
MAIN FIGHT
US HH Rating
7/01/2017
ESPN
Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn
1.6
9/26/2009
HBO
Vitali Klitschko vs. Chris Arreola
1.4
4/19/2008
HBO
Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Calzaghe
1.3
5/03/2008
HBO
Oscar De La Hoya vs. Steve Forbes
1.3
5/09/2015
HBO
Canelo Alvarez vs. James Kirkland
1.3
ESPN Deportes
“The Battle of Brisbane” on ESPN Deportes averaged 206,000 viewers, including 308,000 viewers in the final half hour of the event, making it the most-watched fight on ESPN Deportes since Leo Santa Cruz vs. Abner Mares on August 29, 2015, which had an average minute viewing audience of 355,000.
Streaming
ESPN’s telecast had a streaming average minute audience of 78,000, with 392,000 unique viewers, and 14.4 million total minutes streamed. Based on all three measures, the fight was the most-streamed boxing event on record on ESPN’s networks. On ESPN Deportes, the telecast had a streaming average minute audience of 1,400, with 7,800 unique viewers, and 253,000 total minutes streamed. Based on all three measures, the fight was the most-streamed boxing event on record on ESPN Deportes. Streaming provided a combined additional 2.6% lift on top of the television audience for both networks.
“The Battle of Brisbane” is available to stream now on the ESPN app.

ESPN’s live telecast of the Saturday, July 1, “Battle of Brisbane” (10 p.m. ET to 1 a.m. ET) delivered a 1.8 metered market rating according to Nielsen, making it the highest-rated fight on record for a cable network this decade.*

The WBO World Welterweight Championship main event between Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs), the Filipino legend and boxing’s only eight-division world champion, against undefeated No. 1 contender and Brisbane’s favorite son Jeff “The Hornet” Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs) (12 a.m. ET to 1 a.m. ET) delivered a 2.4 overnight rating. Horn defeated Pacquiao by a controversial unanimous decision.
Based on overnight Nielsen results, the “Battle of Brisbane” is likely to be the highest-rated fight on ESPN’s networks since the mid 1990’s.
Las Vegas was the top local market for the fight with a 4.0 metered market rating, including a 5.1 rating during the main event.
Metered Market Ratings for the Top Five Cities:
Rank
City
Rating
1
Las Vegas
4.0
2
Los Angeles
3.7
3
Raleigh-Durham
3.6
4
New Orleans
3.1
5
San Diego
3.0
Streaming results also broke ESPN records for boxing, making the fight the most-streamed boxing event on record for both the ESPN and ESPN Deportes networks. ESPN had a streaming average minute audience of 78K, 392K unique viewers, and 14.4 million total minutes. Based on all three measures, the fight was the most-streamed boxing event on record on ESPN’s networks. On ESPN Deportes, the fight had a streaming average minute audience of 1.4K, 7.8K unique viewers, and 253K total minutes streamed. Based on all three measures, the fight was the most-streamed boxing event on record on ESPN Deportes.
“The Battle of Brisbane” is available to stream now on the ESPN app. It will also re-air on ESPN2 tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

*Records date to 2010.

In a very dubious decision, Jeff Horn captured the WBO Welterweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision on front of 55,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

Horn came out with reckless abandon and landed some shots early in round one.  Pacquiao was able to start timing Horn, and in round three, Horn was cut over his left eye.  Pacquiao landed the better and more accurate punches, with exception in round six, when Horn landed a hard right that buckled the Philippine legend.

Over the 2nd half of the fight, Pacquiao was able to find a groove, and in round nine, battered Horn all over the ring,  Horn looked like a bloody mess, and referee Mark Nelson even had Horn on a short leash at the fighters entered the 10th frame.  Pacquiao was cut from both sides of his forehead from headbutts as Horn was coming in without much fluidity.

It seemed like it was a mere formality to have Pacquiao’s hand to be raised, but three judges ruled for Horn, some how 117-111 and 115-113 twice.

Horn is now 17-0-1.  Pacquiao falls to 59-7-2.

Jerwin Ancajas retained the IBF Junior Bantamweight title with a 7th round stoppage over Teiru Kinoshita.

Kinoshita was cut over the right eye on what was  ruled a punch.  Replays would show it was from an elbow.  With his eye closing, Kinoshita ate a perfect body shot that sent him to the canvas in round seven.  Kinoshita got to his feet, but the fight was waved off at 1:53.

Anacjas of Cavite City, PHL is 25-1-1 with 17 knockouts.  Kinoshita of Kobe, JPN is 25-2-1.

Michael Conlan remained perfect by stopping Jarrett Owen in round three of their six round featherweight bout.

Conlan was dominant and started working the body hard until the bout was stopped at 1:56 of round three.

Conlan of Ireland is 3-0 with 3 knockouts.  Owen of Brisbane is 5-5-3.

David Toussaint remained perfect by winning an eight-round split decision over Shane Mosley, Jr in a middleweight bout.

In round two, Toussaint started to bleed over his left eye.  Toussaint was more active and sharper with his punches and won by scores of 77-76 twice and 77-75 for Mosley.

Toussaint of Australia is now 11-0.  Mosley of Pomona, CA is 10-2.

Follow all the action as Manny Pacquiao defends the WBO Welterweight title against undefeated Jeff Horn in fornt of over 55,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.  The action begins at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT/ 11 AM Sunday in Brisbane and 9 AM Sunday in the Philippines with a 3 fight undercard that will feature the IBF Junior Bantamweight title between Jerwin Ancajas and Teiru Konoshita; Michael Conlan battles Jarrett Owen Shane Mosley Jr. takes on David Tousaint

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED.  THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY 

Round 1: Combination from Horn..Body punch and right uppercut…Counter from Pacquiao..Good exchange

Round 2 Right hook to body from Pacquiao.Body shot from Horn..Right..Left from Pacquiao..Good left to body…Horn lands..Left from Pacquiao..

round 3 Right from Horn. Horn cut over right eye..Great exchanges…

Round 4 Horn landed a right..Left from Pacquiao..Good body shot..Good uppercut from Horn,,Left from Pacquiao..

Round 5 Right from Horn..Short left from Pacquiao..Right from Horn,,Left to head from Pacquiao..Jab from Horn..Straight left from Pacquiao..Hard left..

Round 6 Uppercut from Horn..Pacquiao cut from the hairline (Headbutt)..Hard right buckles Pacquiao

Round 7  Pacquiao cut over left eye (Headbutt)..Short right from Horn,,Hard left..Body shot

Round 8 Straight left from Pacquiao..Right from Horn,,right from Horn

Round 9 Straight left from Horn..Pacquiao landing..Horn starting to tire,,Straight left..Horn face is a mess with blood…Hard left..

Round 10  Hard right from Pacquiao…Left,,,Straight right from Horn,,

Round 11 Jab from Horn..Hard left from Pacquiao..Right from Horn…

Round 12 Left from Pacquiao…Good exchange,,,1-2 from Pacquiao..Right from Horn,..Straight left from Pacquiao..

117-111, 115-113 twice FOR JEFF HORN

Round 1 Ancajas throwing lead right hooks and jabs…

Round 2 Kinsoshita cut over the right eye

Round 3 Left from Ancajas…Good right…

Round 4 Good body work from Ancajas..

Round 5 Body shot from Kinoshita

Round 6  Good short right from Ancajas…Sharp left from Kinoshita..

Round 7 Kinoshita’s right eye closing..HARD BODY SHOT AND DOWN GOES KINOSHITA, AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1: Good right from Conlan

Round Hard right from Conlan

Round 3 Conlan working the body…Chopping right..Owen is hURT AND THE CORNER THROWS IN THE TOWEL

Round 1 Toussaint a southpaw..Straight right from Mosley…Left from Toussaint..Short left

Round 2 Right hook from Toussaint…Toussaint bleeding over the right eye..Right and body shot from Mosley..Straight left from Toussaint..Right from Mosley..Right hook from Toussaint..Good exchange at the bell…Toussaint lands a left

Round 3 Short left on inside from Toussaint..Jab..right to body..glancing blow on the inside..Right from Mosley..Lead uppdercut from Toussaint.

Round 4 Straight left from Toussaint..Uppercuts on the inside..another uppercut on the inside..

Round 5 Straight left from Toussaint..Left hand..Good combination

Round 6  2 straight lefts from Toussaint..Right from Mosley..

Round 7   Good right to body from Mosley..

Round 8  Right from Mosley..Toussaint lands a combination..Counter right hook..

Manny Pacquiao 146 – Jeff Horn 147
(WBO Welterweight championship)
Co-Feature – IBF Super Flyweight World Championship (12 rounds)
Jerwin Ancajas(26-1-1, 17 KOs), Champion, Cavite City, Philippines 114 lbs.
Teiru Kinoshita (25-1-1, 8 KOs), Challenger, Kobe, Japan 115 lbs.

Middleweights (8 rounds)
Shane Mosley, Jr. (10-1, 7 KOs), Pomona, California. USA 160 lbs.
David Toussaint (10-0, 8 KOs), Canberra, Australia 160 lbs.

Featherweights (6 rounds)
Michael Conlan (2-0, 2 KOs), Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK 126 lbs.
Jarrett Owen (5-4-3, 2 KOs), Brisbane, Australia 126 lbs.

LONDON (30 June) – Superstar Manny Pacquiao believes his illustrious career will be over if he does not get past Jeff Horn this Saturday night.

The eight-weight world champion insists that he is not overlooking his Australian foe as they gear up to face each other in front of a packed 55,000 fans at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane this weekend, exclusively live on BoxNation.

“We have a really good plan for this fight. We worked hard in training camp both in Manila and in General Santos City,” said Pacquiao.

“I’m totally focused for this fight. I am not looking past Jeff Horn because at this point in my career, every fight is the most important. There are no tomorrows if I don’t win today,” he said.

Though 29-year-old Horn is relatively unknown his undefeated 16 win record has seen him work his way into a mandatory position for Pacquiao’s WBO world title.

Impressive names on his record include American Randall Bailey, with Filipino ace Pacquiao believing he has earned the right to fight him but is out to teach him a lesson or two.

“It is good to fight in a country that you haven’t fought in before and to give a chance to Jeff – he is undefeated and it is good to give him a chance. He has earned it. He is a mandatory challenger,” said Pacquiao.

“I know Jeff Horn used to be a teacher. In the ring, I’m a teacher too. I am ready for Jeff to come out and be aggressive. If he does that it will be a great fight for the fans,” he said.

Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach agrees with the 38-year-old ‘Fighter of the Decade’ and says Pacquiao is ready to impress in front of the largest crowd ever for a boxing event in Australia.

“One thing about Manny, we don’t take anyone lightly – Jeff is not that well known but he does have 16 wins and he has fought a couple of names out there, but we get ready for everyone and we are in great shape for this fight as we would be for anybody else in the world, “ said Roach.

“There is going to be a big crowd there and at the beginning they may be rooting against Manny Pacquiao but at the end of the fight everyone in the building will be on Manny’s side – everyone,” he insisted.

Irish Olympic hero Michael Conlan will also feature on the card in his third professional fight when he takes on Australian Jarrett Owen in a six-round featherweight contest.

The 25-year-old is delighted to be on Pacquiao’s undercard and will be looking to steal the show from one of his favourite fighters. “I’m honoured to fight on a Pacquiao undercard – it’s a special event.

He is one of my favourite fighters. I’m looking forward to seeing how I get on here on Pacquiao’s big show,” said Conlan.

Before the fights get underway in Australia, BoxNation will also be broadcasting the 12-round heavyweight contest between Russia’s Alexander Povetkin and Andriy Rudenko exclusively live from 4pm.

Both men have world title ambitions with BoxNation the only place to watch all the action unfold from the Russia Central Concert Hall in Moscow.

As part of this bumper weekend of boxing Sky TV customers can use the code PACMANFREE for free registration up until this Sunday midnight.

Pacquiao v Horn is exclusively live on BoxNation this Saturday night from 2am. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– ENDS –
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.
Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.
The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.
Available on selected internet-connected Freeview products only, subject to coverage. Visit freeview.co.uk/availability.
BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.
For more information visit www.boxnation.com
*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers

By Norm Frauenheim-

From Pac Man to The Honorable, it’s been one wild, wonderful ride. Sometimes wacky, too, but that’s boxing, the only place Manny Pacquiao’s improbable story could have happened.

It continues, this time Down Under in Brisbane against a fighter nobody really knows – and if Pacquiao has his way – nobody will remember after this weekend.

Pacquiao is fighting somebody named Jeff Horn, who is as unknown as the Filipino Senator was a couple of decades ago. Horn has never answered an opening bell to a pro bout in the northern hemisphere.

At 16-0 with one draw and 11 knockouts, it’s hard to judge what kind of fighter Horn is. Video shows he’s aggressive and throws straight punches. I look at the Aussie school teacher and I think of Ricky Hatton without he post-fight pints or Brandon Rios without the craziness. But who knows?

Truth is, the same question applies to Pacquiao — the fighter — these days. His bout with Horn has the feel of one stop in a long, worldwide farewell to the sport that turned him into an international celebrity and even a possible Filipino presidential candidate.

The welterweight fight itself has some significant implications for the business. There’s no pay-per-view price tag attached to it. ESPN will televise the bout (6 p.m PT/9 p.m ET). In Australia, it will happen Sunday afternoon at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium in front of a potential crowd of 60,000.

It’s the first time Pacquaio will appear in a non-PPV fight since 2005. There has been lots of evidence over the last couple of years that the PPV model no longer works, either because of cost or all the ways the signal can be pirated.

Whatever the reason, if Pacquiao in a non-PPV bout works, it’s a sure sign the business has moved on from a model that some say has enriched a few, yet left other good fighters without access to a larger audience.

Pacquaio is not the inexhaustible maelstrom he was against Oscar De La Hoya in 2008, but he’s still as reliable indicator of the where the business has been and where it’s going. People watch because of the name. Without the PPV price, the best estimate for ESPN’s audience is 2 million.

If he looks good and scores his first stoppage since his stoppage of Miguel Cotto in 2009, tired talk about a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is inevitable. Don’t believe it.

Mayweather is fighting UFC star Conor McGregor on Aug. 26 in a sanctioned boxing match because the Irishman is no threat. Pacquiao still is and chances are good that he’ll prove that against Horn, who has never encountered anybody with his speed.

“Yes, this is a great opportunity to show the fans of boxing that we are still here and not done in boxing,’’ Pacquiao said Tuesday in a conference call from Brisbane. “So, this is a good chance, and we believe that a lot of people will be watching.’’

Above all, it’s good chance to remind people of Pacquiao’s popularity. He’s not the fighter he once was. Few at 38 are.

“He probably doesn’t pull the trigger,’’ Horn said. “Look, he is still a super-fast fighter that has easily taken apart his last few opponents. I don’t know if he has a knockout in him But who knows?’’

That’s the bottom-line question. Could Horn be the Down Under version of Joe Smith Jr., the light-heavyweight who ended the Bernard Hopkins legend in December? Not likely. Smith had introduced himself as legit threat with a stoppage of Andrzej Fonfara last June.

But who knows?

For once, we can get an answer without the PPV.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (June 28, 2017) – The final [press conference was held today for this Saturday night’s “Battle in Brisbane,” featuring World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight World champion Manny “Pacman’ Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) and his title challenger, Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs).

“Battle of Brisbane: Pacquiao vs. Horn,” presented by Top Rank and Duco Events. will air this Saturday evening, exclusively in Canada on Super Channel, live from Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

Super Channel subscribers will be able to watch four exciting fights, starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, on the “Battle of Brisbane” card, headlined by Pacquiao vs. Horn.

PACQUIAO VS. DE LA HOYA & HATTON REPLAYS ON SC1

As a warm-up to the “Battle of Brisbane” on July 1, Super Channel will present two replays of previous Pacquiao bouts on Friday June 30starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on SC1:

Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar de la Hoya- Dec. 6, 2008

Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton- May 2, 2009 (IBO World super lightweight title)

These fights will also be available on Super Channel On Demand.

Here is a link to Pacquaio’s interview today with official press conference host Ben Damon:

https://we.tl/HhJ8MpiyGC

Saturday night’s Super Channel telecast will also feature two-time Irish Olympian Michael Conlan (2-0, 2 KOs), from Belfast, in a six-round featherweight bout against Jarrett “Juarez” Owen (5-4-3, 2 KOs), of Brisbane.In the 12-round co-feature,International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior bantamweight world champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas (24-1-1, 16 KOs), of Cavite City, Philippines, will defend his title against top-rated contender Teiru Kinoshita (25-1-1, 8 KOs), of Kobe, Japan. The live telecast will open with an eight-round middleweight bout between Shane Mosley, Jr. (10-1, 7 KOs), of Pomona, Calif. and son of former three-division world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, and David Toussaint (10-0, 8 KOs), of Canberra, Australia.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

INFORMATION:
www.superchannel.ca
Twitter: @SuperChannel
Instagram: @SuperChannelTV
Facebook: /superchannel
About Super Channel:

Super Channel is a national premium pay television network, consisting of four HD channels, four SD channels, and Super Channel On Demand.

Super Channel’s mission is to entertain and engage Canadian audiences by providing a unique and exclusive entertainment experience. With a core foundation of integrity and accountability, we dedicate ourselves to implementing innovative programming strategies and unparalleled team work that provides viewers with exceptional value and variety.

Super Channel is owned by Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc., an Edmonton-based media company.

Super Channel is currently available on Bell TV, Shaw Direct, Rogers Anyplace TV, Shaw Cable, Cogeco Cable, Access Communications, Bell Aliant TV, Source Cable, SaskTel, MTS, Novus, EastLink, TELUS, Videotron, Westman Communications and other regional providers.
www.superchannel.ca

Fighter of the Decade and reigning WBO welterweight champion MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO, and his opponent, undefeated No. 1 contender JEFF “The Hornet” HORN, hosted a media Q&A on Tuesday in Brisbane, Australia, just days before their historic fight. They were joined by their respective trainers, Freddie Roach and Glenn Rushton, and Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum

Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the only sitting Senator to capture a world championship belt, and Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia,, a 2012 Olympian and Pacquiao’s mandatory challenger, collide This Saturday, July 1, at Suncorp Stadium in front of a national record 60,000 fans. ESPN will televise the Pacquiao-Horn world title tilt and an all-action three-bout undercard, live, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

FRED STERNBURG: The biggest fight in Australian history is just days away. Fighter of the Decade and Eight Division World Champion Senator Manny Pacquiao will be defending his WBO welterweight title against undefeated and No. 1 mandatory challenger Jeff “The Hornet” Horn. It is a huge event and it will be televised live to the U.S. on Saturday, July 1, on ESPN, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. We have both Jeff and Manny on and we will begin with Jeff as well as his trainer/manager Glenn Rushton and his promoter Dean Lonergan. To set the table, it is a pleasure to introduce Hall of Fame Promoter Bob Arum.

BOB ARUM: Thank you very much. We are here is Brisbane and it is approximately 9 am on Wednesday morning and Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles, early Tuesday evening in New York. There is tremendous excitement for this fight – it is something really special. The whole country has caught on. Every newspaper — front page, back page — all over the television, the country has really embraced this event. The event will be held Sunday afternoon, July 2 in Suncorp Stadium and it will be televised live, including a tremendous three-fight undercard, in the United States by our friends at ESPN. I am very, very excited about this event between welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn. It’s is going to be a very, very good battle. I watched Jeff train – I think he’s up for a performance of his life and you are going to see a great, great fight on Saturday night.

JEFF HORN: I m feeling very excited and I can’t wait for Sunday to come and I am ready to go to war.

GLENN RUSHTON: I can’t elaborate too much on the ten-point-plan we developed – it is very much a secret — but we are exceptionally confident that if Jeff follows that ten-point-plan, he will emerge victorious. He has trained incredibly hard and he is as fit as he has ever been. He is injury fee. His jaw is as hard as granite. His heart is as big as Suncorp Stadium, and he is technically very proficient, so it is going to be one heck of a fight come Saturday night over there (USA) and Sunday afternoon over here. I think the crowd is going to be shocked as to how good a fighter Jeff is. I think some have thought this will be a relatively easy fight for Manny Pacquiao and that certainly won’t be the case. We are looking forward to the biggest boxing event is Australian history.

What was going through your mind when you heard that this fight would happen, and in your hometown?

JEFF HORN: Yes, it was very unexpected. I actually couldn’t believe it when I got it but I was thankful that I got it and I jumped at it and said I’ll do it. I said yes, but then I heard it was going to be at Suncorp, it has been more than my dream come true – a world title shot against Pacquiao in my hometown.

Glenn, could you give me your thoughts on that? When they called and said Jeff would be fighting Manny Pacquiao?

GLENN RUSHTON: Actually, it felt true to me – it felt correct. When we sat down with Dean Lonergan of Duco Events, our promoter, I said, ‘Dean, I envision Jeff Horn fighting at Suncorp Stadium for a world title in front of full house. That’s my dream. I envisioned it.” I said ‘can you see that?’ And he gulped a little bit and said ‘well yes I suppose I could see that,’ so he slowly bought into that dream. It’s a dream that I have had and it felt right. It felt like everything deserved to be. I have always believed this would happen. We are very pleased with it and looking very much forward to seeing this turn into an historic event.

Jeff, what is the largest crowd you have fought in front of?

JEFF HORN: The largest crowd I have fought in front of would be about 10,000 – that was on the undercard of Parker-Ruiz last December. This is next level for sure.

What makes you think that you can beat many Pacquiao?

JEFF HORN: I think I have a style that Pacquiao has not fought before. I think he is going to struggle with my style. I am bigger than him. He may be faster than me but I am pretty quick as well. I could hit him with the right shot and nobody knows what could happen.

Do you feel like you are fighting a peak many Pacquiao?

GLENN RUSHTON: We do believe that Manny Pacquiao is at his peak. Certainly I do not feel he is far off his peak – he is fairly close – he did a terrific job against Jessie Vargas – he was incredibly sharp there – he was picking him off very well. He did not look like a 38-year-old man, that’s for sure. He looked very, very good against Tim Bradley and very sharp as well, so if he has fallen from his peak, he has come from such a hard place, he has fallen very slightly, he is still far better than his opposition. We are looking to fight the best Manny Pacquiao. We are not looking to fight someone that is past his prime – we are not thinking that way at all – that would be very foolish. We are preparing to fight the Manny Pacquiao that Freddie Roach has been saying in his training has been looking sharp and knocking people down in sparring and so forth. So we are here to fight Manny Pacquiao at his best and we are going to bring our own game and there will be no excuses – just two great warriors out there and we are looking forward to this amazing contest.

JEFF HORN: I think Manny has looked good in his last couple of fights, he probably doesn’t pull the trigger a little bit when he had the chance. Look, he is still a super fast fighter that has easily taken apart his last few opponents. I don’t know if he has a knockout in him but who knows? I will finally find out though.

Jeff – who do you think is the toughest opponent you have fought thus far?

JEFF HORN: That’s a hard one. I have fought a lot of tough guys. Randall Bailey was certainly the hardest puncher I have ever fought – for sure the hardest puncher. I have fought a lot of tough guys – they have all been really strong. Rico Mueller was very strong. Even Ben Rabeh was a really tough fighter. I could name a heap of my past fights that were tough.

How much of a step up do you think this is from past opponents?

JEFF HORN: Yes this is definitely jumping a few steps at a time. I have fought some tough guys – some high-level competition, but Manny Pacquiao has that legendary status.

GLENN RUSHTON: It is a step up but you’ve got to understand we can only fight the toughest guys we can get hold of. I spoke to Duco’s matchmaker and I said “Jeff is legit and I want to go up against world-class opponents’ and this is the last ten, they have all been world-ranked. They all had at least 20 fights under their belt and they must have at least a 90% win record. The matchmaker thought I was crazy he said most trainers don’t want to fight anyone that’s got a pulse and you want to fight all of these really tough guys. I said there is a reason for that I’m trying to put Jeff up against as tough an opponent as I can so I can harden him for days when we get an opportunity against a Manny Pacquiao. I want him to be ready to fight against the toughest guys. Of course along the way we would have loved to fight a Jessie Vargas or a Tim Bradley but in this game those guys are going to say ‘what’s the upside for me?’ So we fought the toughest people we can and Jeff has risen because of that to become the No. 1 contender – so he is in this position and a lot of people are saying that and after this fight everyone will know who Jeff Horn is come Sunday is Brisbane and Saturday night in the USA – they will all know who Jeff Horn is.

Who do you think gave him the most difficult time in the ring?

GLENN RUSHTON: I personally feel that having been in the corner for all of his fights – the toughest fight was probably Naoufel Ben Rabeh – remember this was just Jeff’s seventh fight and Rabeh was 35-2 and his two losses were for world titles and some say his loss to Juan Urango was a little bit curious but he was a tough fight to have in only your seventh fight. It was a winner tale all fight and we took it on two weeks notice and we went to Rabeh’s hometown to fight him. It was a very tough fight and Jeff lost the first round and after that when I said, ‘Jeff this is winner take all’ – he was covered in blood – it was a very hard first round – there is no second prize here – you could go home with no money in your pocket. He won every round after that and apparently, well he retired Ben Rabeh, put him in the hospital and he said he suffered more damage in that fight than in either of his two world title fights. And that was on two weeks notice. That gives you some idea on how Jeff will look against Pacquiao. Whatever Manny wants to throw at Jeff, Jeff will rise to the occasion.

There are two ways these fights usually go – the underdog pulls the upset or the underdog looks very bad…

JEFF HORN: I have just been putting everything into it – training very hard and I think all of that is going to pay off for me. Manny Pacquiao is going to be surprised about what I take to him in the ring.

Do you think being a lesser known fight is an advantage for you?

JEFF HORN: I think in the last couple of fights Pacquiao has not lost too much. To me not being known as a fighter – that might be handy in this fight, as in Manny has not been able to study what I can do and maybe underestimate me in this fight, and in the same way, Pacquiao has fought so many tough guys, that we all know and have watched, so he has definitely got the experience on me. But will he use that experience? We will see.

How much motivation do you get from being the underdog, to win this fight?

JEFF HORN: It does give me massive motivation – it makes me train harder knowing that no one gives me a shot, but I have experienced that throughout my whole career. I guess this is on another level and there are a lot more people saying I’ve got no chance at all. I like being the underdog. It’s fun.

GLENN RUSHTON: Jeff is a fierce competitor. He is very determined especially with his big heart he is probably one of the really key factors, he hates losing at anything, whether it is poker or table tennis or whatever it is – he is one of those people that just has to win and I think that has been a real motivating factor – people saying that I’m not going to win is dangerous. We know we are fighting one of the greatest fighters of all time and we are very mindful and respect Manny Pacquiao’s abilities. That KO against Marquez, that’s a stone cold KO that takes something out of a fighter – getting knocked out cold like that – that’s got to be haunting to a fighter in the back of his mind. We have the young hungry lion here – big and mean who is technically very good – he made the finals in the Olympics and won two national titles so he knows he is technically very good, he’s tough and he knows he’s got a great chin. He knows all of this and he has come off not too long ago loss against Marquez and that’s going to haunt him a little bit when he gets hit with Jeff’s power and it’s going to change things. There is going to be a time in this fight that there will be a change and you’ll sense that this is a very young guy that is tough and he is going to startle. We love being the underdog. It is terrific. It takes a lot of pressure off Jeff and at the end of the day Manny Pacquiao is just a man. He is just a man so when we get out there on the night of the fight it’s going to come down to who wants it the most and one thing is for sure, and I assure you, there is no one on this earth that wants it more than Jeff Horn.

MANNY PACQUIAO: Hello to everyone wherever you are – good evening, good afternoon and good morning.

FREDDIE ROACH: Don’t miss this fight it is going to be fun.

With all of the other champions and top fighters at welterweight, why did you decide to fight Jeff Horn?

MANNY PACQUIAO: It is good to fight in a country that you haven’t fought in before and to give a chance to Jeff – he is undefeated and it is good to give him a chance. He has earned it.

Were you interested in fighting one of the other champions?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Yes, but also Jeff is the mandatory champion.

Would you like to once again fight in the Philippines?

MANNY PACQUIAO: We are working on fighting in my country of the Philippines — we would like to do that.

Do you think we could see a Manny Pacquiao knockout against Jeff Horn?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Different fighters and Freddie and I work to focus on the knockout but we don’t know if it will come but we prepare for safety first and defense and not being careless and doing our job. If the knockout comes it will come and if I have the chance to knock him out I will grab that opportunity.

FREDDIE ROACH: It’s been a good training camp and there has been a few knockdowns in this camp and it’s been a while since we have had that and Manny has been looking really sharp in camp and he has had a great camp and he is 100% ready for this fight.

How do you get Manny Pacquiao up for a fight like Jeff Horn compared to all of the huge opponents he has faced in the past?

FREDDIE ROACH: One thing about Manny we don’t take anyone lightly – Jeff is not that well known but he does have 16 wins and he has fought a couple of names out there, but again, we get ready for everyone and we are in great shape for this fight as we would be for anybody else in the world.

Do you think that with the huge ESPN audience is is a good opportunity to show fans you are still an elite fighter?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Yes this is a great opportunity to show the fans of boxing that we are still here and not done in boxing so this is a good chance and we believe that a lot of people will be watching and we spoke to Bob (Arum) and we decided to give the people a chance to watch the fight on a free station in America.

Do you think you can be the fighter to bring back the glory days of boxing to free television?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Bob and I decided to show this fight on free television so people can watch without paying the pay per view for the fight, because I have fought in America many times and people had to pay to watch the fight on television. For this fight we are giving the people the chance to watch it for free. It will be live on ESPN. This is a very exciting fight because it is the first time I am fighting in this country so we are very excited for this fight.

BOB ARUM: It’s more than that. Manny is a level above the ordinary fighter. He is now in the Senate in the Philippines. He thinks in terms of the people and he did say to me ‘I want this fight seen in America, which has been so good to me, by as many people as possible, for free.’ We were able to make a deal with ESPN and we will have, by far, the most people to ever watch a Manny Pacquiao fight will be Saturday night, July 1 – the start of the 4th of July weekend. So in effect I think it should be viewed as a gift to the American public, by Manny Pacquiao, who has spent so much time and has done great things in the United States. I think it’s wonderful that this fight is being shown on free television – on ESPN — and yes I hope that many more fights will be shown on free to air television.

Horn’s trainer said earlier that Manny is not the same after the Marquez KO . . .

FREDDIE ROACH: The Marquez punch, Manny stepped into that right hand and I think since that fight he has fought wonderfully. That fight was so long ago to me and since then Manny has been ready for every fight and we waited for Marquez to give us a rematch and he wouldn’t give us one so we are on with Jeff Horn right now.

MANNY PACQUIAO: For me I am still the same – I am still a boxer – and I disagree.

What do you expect it to be like going into a stadium with a full crowd rooting against you?

MANNY PACQUIAO: I am a person that loves to fight against my opponent with focus and determination. It gives me extra motivation to have 50,000 to 60,000 fans cheering for him, so that is good for me. Like when I fought Marco Antonio Barrera in San Antonio, Texas in 2002, I had only five fans for me, and four of them were Freddie and my corner. It gives me more inspiration and focus.

FREDDIE ROACH: Well, you know there is going to be a big crowd there and at the beginning they may be rooting against Manny Pacquiao but at the end of the fight everyone in the building will be on Manny’s side. EVERYONE.

MANNY PACQUIAO: Thank you so much for everything and for this opportunity to speak to all of the media from around the world and thank you to Bob and to the promoter Dean Lonergan and ESPN. Thank you

FREDDIE ROACH: Brisbane is a great place, a wonderful city and it’s great to see the world and make sure you tune in Saturday night on ESPN.

FRED STERNBURG: Watch it live on ESPN, Saturday at 9 pm ET

BOB ARUM: And 6 pm where I live on the west coast.

***************************************

ESPN’s coverage of “The Battle of Brisbane” will begin on Friday, June 30th, and includes live coverage of the Pacquiao and Horn weigh-in at 7 p.m. ET within SportsCenter on ESPN and within Golpe a Golpe on ESPN Deportes. During the week of June 26, classic Pacquiao fights will also be available on demand and streaming via the ESPN app, on both ESPN and ESPN Deportes, including Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton (5/2/2009), Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez (11/12/11) and Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley (4/12/14).

The July 1 telecast will also feature Irish Olympic hero Michael Conlan (2-0, 2 KOs), from Belfast, in a six-round featherweight bout against Jarrett “Juarez” Owen (5-4-3, 2 KOs), of Brisbane, and International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior bantamweight world champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas (24-1-1, 16 KOs), of Cavite City, Philippines, defending his title against top-rated contender Teiru Kinoshita (25-1-1, 8 KOs), of Kobe, Japan. The live telecast will open with an eight-round middleweight rumble between Shane Mosley, Jr. (10-1, 7 KOs), of Pomona, Calif. and son of former three-division world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, and David Toussaint (10-0, 8 KOs), of Canberra, Australia.

Saturday, July 1st on ESPN and ESPN Deportes
9 p.m. – 10 p.m. ET: Top Rank Boxing: Undercards & Main Event Preview
– Shane Mosley, Jr. vs. David Toussaint

10 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. ET: Top Rank Boxing: Main Event
– Michael Conlan vs. Jarrett Owen
– Jerwin Ancajas vs. Teiru Kinoshita
– Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff “The Hornet” Horn

Sunday, July 2nd on ESPN Deportes
12:30 a.m. – 2 a.m. ET – SportsCenter

Promoted by Top Rank® and Duco Events, in association with MP Promotions, “The Battle of Brisbane: Pacquiao vs. Horn” is expected to attract a sellout crowd of 55,000+ fans, eclipsing the previous Australian record of 38,000 set on March 1, 1992 when Azumah Nelson stopped Jeff Fenech in the eighth round to retain his World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight title. The battle between the two Hall of Famer fighters took place at Princes Park in Melbourne.
For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo @ESPNDeportes. Join the conversation #PacHorn.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (June 27, 2017) – World Boxing Organization (WBO) Welterweight World champion Manny “Pacman’ Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) and his Hall-of-Fame trainer, Freddie Roach, held a media workout today in Australia, preparing for this Saturday night’s showdown between Pacquiao and his title challenger, Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs).

“Battle of Brisbane: Pacquiao vs. Horn,” presented by Top Rank and Duco Events. will air this Saturday evening, exclusively in Canada on Super Channel, live from Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

Super Channel subscribers will be able to watch four exciting fights, starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, on the “Battle of Brisbane” card, headlined by Pacquiao vs. Horn.

PACQUIAO VS. DE LA HOYA & HATTON REPLAYS ON SC1
As a warm-up to the “Battle of Brisbane” on July 1, Super Channel will present two replays of previous Pacquiao bouts on Friday June 30starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on SC1:

Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar de la Hoya- Dec. 6, 2008

Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton- May 2, 2009 (IBO World super lightweight title)

These fights will also be available on Super Channel On Demand.

See Pacquiao and Roach quotes below from today’s workout:

MANNY PACQUIAO: “We have a really good plan for this fight. We worked hard in training camp both in Manila and in General Santos City. I’m totally focused for this fight. I am not looking past this fight because at this point in my career, every fight is the most important. There are no tomorrows if I don’t win today.

“Jeff Horn is OK. I’ve watched video of his fights. He brings a lot of action into the ring.

“I know what he is feeling. I remember everything about my first world title fight.

“Being a senator and training for a fight is hard. It takes discipline and time management. Luckily, the Senate has been in recess for the past few weeks and I have been able to focus on training for my world title fight.

“A Senator’s job is to defend his people … to fight for their rights.

“I know Jeff Horn used to be a teacher. In the ring, I’m a teacher too.

“I am ready for Jeff to come out and be aggressive. If he does that it will be a great fight for the fans.

“The biggest crowd I ever fought in front of was at Cowboys Stadium against Joshua Clottey. I’m told this could be bigger [51,000+]. I am very excited for doing that, even though they may not be rooting for me. I am also very happy that ESPN will be televising it live.to the U.S. Now everyone can see it. It’s good for boxing.”

FREDDIE ROACH: “Manny is a performer. He loves people, loves a big audience. Brisbane has all that for this fight. He’ll be fighting in front of the biggest crowd of his career.

“Not everyone gets the opportunity to fight for a world title. It was always my dream but I never fought for one. It’s a big deal. Jeff Horn earned this opportunity. He is the WBO’s mandatory challenger.

“Manny gave me 110% in training camp. He always does. No one works harder in the gym. The difference in this camp from recent ones has been his aggression. He’s scored several knockdowns and I haven’t seen that in years. He has kept his foot on the pedal throughout, even when he’s had a sparring partner in trouble. After his ring work he is singing and dancing – not well – but that’s not the point. He is really hungry to make a statement in this fight against Horn. He’s even playing Shakira during his workouts again and he hasn’t done that in years.”

Saturday night’s Super Channel telecast will also feature two-time Irish Olympian Michael Conlan (2-0, 2 KOs), from Belfast, in a six-round featherweight bout against Jarrett “Juarez” Owen (5-4-3, 2 KOs), of Brisbane.In the 12-round co-feature,International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior bantamweight world champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas (24-1-1, 16 KOs), of Cavite City, Philippines, will defend his title against top-rated contender Teiru Kinoshita (25-1-1, 8 KOs), of Kobe, Japan. The live telecast will open with an eight-round middleweight bout between Shane Mosley, Jr. (10-1, 7 KOs), of Pomona, Calif. and son of former three-division world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, and David Toussaint (10-0, 8 KOs), of Canberra, Australia.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

INFORMATION:
www.superchannel.ca
Twitter: @SuperChannel
Instagram: @SuperChannelTV
Facebook: /superchannel
About Super Channel:

Super Channel is a national premium pay television network, consisting of four HD channels, four SD channels, and Super Channel On Demand.

Super Channel’s mission is to entertain and engage Canadian audiences by providing a unique and exclusive entertainment experience. With a core foundation of integrity and accountability, we dedicate ourselves to implementing innovative programming strategies and unparalleled team work that provides viewers with exceptional value and variety.

Super Channel is owned by Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc., an Edmonton-based media company.

Super Channel is currently available on Bell TV, Shaw Direct, Rogers Anyplace TV, Shaw Cable, Cogeco Cable, Access Communications, Bell Aliant TV, Source Cable, SaskTel, MTS, Novus, EastLink, TELUS, Videotron, Westman Communications and other regional providers.
www.superchannel.ca

Photo by Bradley Kanaris for Duco Promotions

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada (June 26, 2017) – Super Channel is pleased to announce that it has acquired the exclusive rights in Canada to air the July 1st World Boxing Organization (WBO) World Welterweight Championship bout between reigning champion, future Hall-of-Famer Manny “Pacman’ Pacquiao, and challenger Jeff Horn, starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, live from Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

“Battle of Brisbane: Pacquiao vs. Horn” is a presentation of Top Rank and Duco Events. Super Channel will air four exciting fights from this card, headlined by Pacquiao vs. Horn, exclusively in Canada.

“Super Channel is ecstatic to be bringing a non-pay-per-view Pacquiao bout to Canadian fight fans as a follow up to the exciting Brook vs Spence IBF Welterweight Championship we brought them in May” said Troy Wassill, Director of Programming, Domestic Distributors and Sports. “We keep hearing from our viewers that they want more boxing on Super Channel and the ‘Battle of Brisbane’ is going to deliver exactly what they are looking for.”

“The world has followed amazing Manny since he burst onto the scene in his U.S. debut in 2001, where he knocked out Lehlo Ledwaba to win his second of a record eight division world titles,” Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum added. “It’s going to be an unbelievable event.”

PACQUIAO VS. DE LA HOYA & HATTON REPLAYS ON SC1

As a warm-up to the “Battle of Brisbane” on July 1, Super Channel will present two replays of previous Pacquiao bouts on Friday June 30starting at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on SC1:

Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar de la Hoya- Dec. 6, 2008

Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton- May 2, 2009 (IBO World super lightweight title)

These fights will also be available on Super Channel On Demand.

Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), a former two-term congressman, was elected to a Philippine Senate seat in May 2016, capturing more than 16 million votes nationally. An international icon, Pacquiao is the only fighter to win eight world titles in as many different weight divisions. A three-time Fighter of the Year and the reigning BWAA “Fighter of the Decade,” Pacquiao’s resumé features victories over present and future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley.

From 2008 to 2010, five of his seven victories were in world title fights, in five different weight classes, ranging from 130 to 154 pounds. No active boxer has sold more live tickets in the U.S. than Pacquiao, who is also credited with more than 18 million domestic pay-per-view buys. After his disappointing unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. on May 2, 2015, a world championship fight that generated a record 4.5 million pay-per-view buys and more than $400 million in television revenue alone, a healthy Pacquiao (he had suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder during the fourth round of the Mayweather fight) returned to the winner’s circle on April 9, 2016, winning the rubber match against five-time world champion Bradley. In a battle of Top-10 pound for pound fighters, Pacquiao sent Bradley to the canvas twice en route to a dominant 12-round unanimous decision victory. On Nov. 5, Pacquiao regained the WBO welterweight title for a third time when he shellacked the once-defeated defending champion Jessie Vargas via another dominant 12-round unanimous decision. Pacquiao has been trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach since 2001.

Unbeaten hometown-favorite Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), fighting out of Brisbane (Queensland, Australia), enters the fight of his life having won his last three battles — all in 2016 — against Ali Funeka, Rico Mueller and Randall Bailey, inside the distance. They had a combined record of 105-14-4 when he fought them. The 2012 Australian Olympian’s background belies the warrior he has become inside the ring. Well-schooled inside and outside the ring, Horn received his Bachelor of Education degree from Griffith University and taught high school Physical Education even as he embarked on his professional boxing career.

Horn started boxing at age 18 after being picked on by bullies and he has been an advocate of anti-bullying campaigns. Immensely popular throughout Australia, the 29-year-old Horn has become a national gate attraction in his own right. Selected as the 2015 Australian Boxer of the Year, Horn is trained and managed by Glenn Rushton, the only trainer he has ever had, and assisted by former WBC super welterweight world champion John “The Beast” Mugabi.

The July 1 telecast will also feature Irish Olympic hero Michael Conlan (2-0, 2 KOs), from Belfast, in a six-round featherweight bout against Jarrett “Juarez” Owen (5-4-3, 2 KOs), of Brisbane, and International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior bantamweight world champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas (24-1-1, 16 KOs), of Cavite City, Philippines, defending his title against top-rated contender Teiru Kinoshita (25-1-1, 8 KOs), of Kobe, Japan. The live telecast will open with an eight-round middleweight rumble between Shane Mosley, Jr. (10-1, 7 KOs), of Pomona, Calif. and son of former three-division world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, and David Toussaint (10-0, 8 KOs), of Canberra, Australia.

Some of the greatest boxers in history have confirmed they will be ringside, including Roberto Duran, Evander Holyfield, and Thomas Hearns.

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

INFORMATION:
www.superchannel.ca
Twitter: @SuperChannel
Instagram: @SuperChannelTV
About Super Channel:

Super Channel is a national premium pay television network, consisting of four HD channels, four SD channels, and Super Channel On Demand.

Super Channel’s mission is to entertain and engage Canadian audiences by providing a unique and exclusive entertainment experience. With a core foundation of integrity and accountability, we dedicate ourselves to implementing innovative programming strategies and unparalleled team work that provides viewers with exceptional value and variety.

Super Channel is owned by Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc., an Edmonton-based media company.

Super Channel is currently available on Bell TV, Shaw Direct, Rogers Anyplace TV, Shaw Cable, Cogeco Cable, Access Communications, Bell Aliant TV, Source Cable, SaskTel, MTS, Novus, EastLink, TELUS, Videotron, Westman Communications and other regional providers.
www.superchannel.ca

By Bart Barry-

Saturday or Sunday somewhere in Australia, Manny Pacquiao will fight an Australian welterweight named Jeff “The Hornet” Horn in a match televised by ESPN. While Horn is exactly the sort of fighter one expects to see on ESPN, Pacquiao, even at this late stage, is an extraordinary improvement. In its press release ESPN indicates Pacman-Hornet will be privy to a full suite of the network’s promotional instruments. This sort of immersion commitment should prove beneficial to Pacquiao’s promoter, Top Rank, and may even prove beneficial to our beloved sport as a whole.

Hand it to Top Rank, the outfit understands how to stretch an attraction longterm. Imagine if Manny Pacquiao’d stayed with Murad Muhammad or Gary Shaw or Golden Boy Promotions all those years ago – would Top Rank even be in business any longer?

Yes, absolutely. Nothing about its current business model or the model of its last decade would resemble its current business model, but Top Rank would be in business and profitable because it is institutionally better at what it does than anyone else in boxing. While its founder occasionally plays a crazy old uncle on TV the company moves conservatively and reliably follows reliable revenue streams.

Yes, it once built a pay-per-view infrastructure to promote its fighters after they were signed to large contracts but before HBO might supplement those contracts, a broadcasting arm that monetized Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. without improving him more than an iota or two, but even that riskylooking model was about recovering its investment someday from Time Warner (did a Top Rank a-side ever lose a main event on Top Rank PPV?). Years ago even Pacquiao fought on Top Rank PPV to keep him busy before politics did but then returned for a fouryear stint on HBO pay-per-view before Top Rank moved him, for a single fight, to Showtime and then back to HBO pay-per-view for a fouryear promotion of his eventual loss to Floyd Mayweather. When the fights were too risible to be promotional themes themselves – Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosley, Brandon Rios, Chris Algieri – Top Rank made the venue or broadcaster the theme, encouraging a suspension of disbelief like: I know this won’t be any good, but seeing a boxing ring in a football stadium, or a Chinese casino, or on the child affiliate of an American terrestrial broadcaster, why, to miss those things would be to ensure a lifetime of regret!

Where Arum was improvisational, relying on experience and charisma to propel him through whatever exotica the week’s announcement needed, his step-son, Todd DuBoef, was more strategic, talking about a concept he called Brand of Boxing, from whose spirit Al Haymon’s PBC borrowed liberally a few years later. The one enormous difference between the two visions was talent; Top Rank has a collective talent for spotting potential, developing it and matching it in a properly violent spectacle that is historic; PBC does not. DuBoef assumed if boxing’s popularity ascended his company would benefit because it had the best matchmaking, while Haymon assumed saturation was a better ploy – especially with someone else’s money. PBC was more innovative than Top Rank in its gambit but its founder’s enduring contempt for the very media whose platforms he expected to saturate kept his model insulated from what negative feedback journalism freely offers and thus vulnerable to what expensive feedback shareholders do.

The common wisdom in architecture is that there are but two ways to avoid catastrophic mistakes when building something: Get lucky, or make many tiny mistakes. PBC, whose blueprint began with a figurehead who does not conduct interviews, made the same mistakes over and over because it set itself in professional conflict with its critics, ensuring no small mistakes would be noticed till they became catastrophic ones.

To switch metaphors, if PBC is a long, well-set banquet table with one man at the head and nobody else in the room, Top Rank is more of a family style buffet with people arguing at every table and tables arguing with other tables. Where Haymon refuses interviews, Arum spars with members of the media routinely. Top Rank makes thousands of tiny mistakes and corrects them – if it lacks PBC’s derringdo it also lacks PBC’s ideological purity. Top Rank was on free-television decades ago then went to cable, Top Rank was on HBO for years then went to Showtime, Top Rank was on premium cable for decades now returns to basic cable – all the while Arum makes enemies of last year’s friends and friends of last decade’s enemies and enemies of their friends and friends of their enemies.

Were Pacquiao-Horn scheduled for Friday Night Fights it would be no better than an admission Pacquiao-Horn couldn’t do 50,000 buys in the U.S., and all the details to follow whatever details they followed wouldn’t matter – just Arum making noise again with whatever materials he can bang together. But then one hears the weighin will happen live on SportsCenter, an institution that quite rightly ignored its network’s Fright Night Fights franchise for however long Joe and Teddy were shouting about the abominable judging of what meaningless fights happened in between Just for Men commercials, and it does bring pause.

Whatever one opines of ESPN’s prepositional approach to hyperbolic coverage – on SportsCenter, for instance, this would be “the first column ever written, on a Chromebook, in the month of June, by an Irish-American writer wearing a pink Kangol, in a San Antonio Starbucks, during a rainstorm, for a website named after the previous duration of a championship prizefight” – the network owns a fantastic share of what thoughts happen in the minds of American male consumers, ages 18-34. As a fighter Pacquiao has been what the kids call “washed” since Juan Manuel Marquez snatched his soul 4 1/2 years ago, but as a brand? Goodness, ESPN has vended much, much sillier things.

HBO hasn’t had its heart or soul in boxing for a good long while, and if that trend showed any signs of reversal Top Rank would not have begun its ESPN overtures when it did. After bemoaning the cycle for a few years, Top Rank now accelerates it – leaving HBO with Tom Loeffler, Oscar De La Hoya and Kathy Duva to sustain an entire boxing ecosystem.

What’s that – a pick for Pacquiao-Horn? No, that’s OK.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

LONDON (23 June) – Superstar Manny Pacquiao’s world title defence from ‘down under’ when he puts his WBO welterweight title on the line against undefeated number two world-rated contender Jeff Horn will be aired exclusively live on BoxNation.

The eight-division world champion and the reigning ‘Fighter of the Decade’ takes on undefeated Australian Horn from the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane next Saturday night.

Promoted by Top Rank and Duco Events, “The Battle of Brisbane” is expected to attract 55,000 fans, with Pacquiao fighting in Australia for the first time in his illustrious career.

The 38-year-old Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), is coming off impressive wins over former champions Jessie Vargas and Timothy Bradley and is now in his third reign as WBO welterweight champion.

Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), who will be fighting in his hometown of Brisbane, enters this clash having won his last three fights – all in 2016 – against Ali Funeka, Rico Mueller and Randall Bailey inside the distance.

The 29-year-old goes into the fight extremely confident and will be looking for the record crowd to spur him on to victory on July 1st against the legendary Filipino.

Also featuring on the card will be Irish Olympian Michael Conlan who enters the ring for the third time as a professional when he takes on Jarrett Owen.

Conlan has looked sensational in his recent outings and will look to continue where he left off when he stopped Mexican Alfredo Chanez last May.

Top Rank boss Bob Arum can’t wait for the exciting card and has tipped Pacquiao to come out victorious in the main event.

“Manny has been a pioneer, bringing world title fights to Cowboys Stadium, The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena and now Suncorp Stadium. We’re boxing’s version of Lewis & Clark, discovering new markets,” said Hall of Fame promoter Arum. “Manny knows who will be the crowd favourite on July 1st, but he can’t wait to give Australia and the world a great performance. It’s going to be an unbelievable event.”

Jim McMunn, BoxNation Managing Director, said: “Manny Pacquiao is undoubtedly one of the best fighters of this generation and we are delighted to showcase his fight with the unbeaten Jeff Horn exclusively live on BoxNation on July 1st. The welterweight division is stacked with amazing talent and WBO world champion Pacquiao is at the forefront of that. This will be a great event at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, with Horn looking to burst onto the scene by becoming world champion and shocking a legend in Pacquiao. It will be a great card for BoxNation subscribers to tune in and watch, with Irish Olympic hero Michael Conlan also on the bill.”

BoxNation is available on Sky/Freeview/Virgin/TalkTalk/EE/Apple TV/ online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (iOS, Android, Amazon) for just £12 a month. Buy now at boxnation.com.

– ENDS –
About BoxNation
BoxNation, the Channel of Champions and proud partner of Rainham Steel, is the UK’s first dedicated boxing channel. From £12* per month with no minimum term customers can enjoy great value live and exclusive fights, classic fight footage, magazine shows and interviews with current and former fighters.
Previous highlights have included Haye vs Chisora, Mayweather vs Maidana, Saunders vs Eubank Jr and Khan vs Canelo.
The channel is available on Sky (Ch.437), Freeview (Ch.255), Virgin (Ch.546), TalkTalk (Ch.415), online at watch.boxnation.com and via apps (ios, Android, Amazon, Apple TV). BoxNation is also available in high definition on Sky (Ch. 490), at no extra cost to Sky TV subscribers, providing they are already HD enabled.
Available on selected internet-connected Freeview products only, subject to coverage. Visit freeview.co.uk/availability.
BoxNation is also available to commercial premises (inc. pubs, clubs and casino’s) in the UK and Ireland, for more information on a commercial subscription please call 0844 842 7700.
For more information visit www.boxnation.com
*Plus £8 registration fee for Sky TV customers

LOS ANGELES (June 19, 2017) — Hall of Fame promoter BOB ARUM will be “barnstorming” ESPN today, talking about Fighter of the Decade MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO’s first non-pay-per-view fight since 2005. Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the only sitting Senator to capture a world championship belt, will make his live debut on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (also streaming live on the ESPN app) defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against undefeated No. 1 contender, mandatory challenger and Australia’s favorite son JEFF “The Hornet” HORN (16-0-1, 11 KOs), from Brisbane, Saturday, July 1 at 10:00 p.m. ET. This will be the first time Pacquiao has not fought on pay-per-view since. Sept. 10, 2005, when he stopped Hector Velazquez in the sixth round — 12 years and four weight divisions ago.

Below, please find the list of Arum’s live appearances on ESPN today

§ 9:05 a.m. ET “Mike and Mike”
§ 10:40 a.m. ET “First Take”
§ 2:30 p.m. ET “Sports Nation”
§ 4:00 p.m. ET “Jalen & Jacoby”

*************************************

The ESPN/ESPN Deportes live telecast of “The Battle of Brisbane” will emanate from Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, where a record crowd of 55,000+ fans is expected. In addition to the Pacquiao-Horn WBO welterweight world title fight, the ESPN/ESPN Deportes live telecast will also feature Irish Olympic hero MICHAEL CONLAN (2-0, 2 KOs), from Belfast, in a six-round featherweight bout against JARRETT “Juarez” OWEN (5-4-3, 2 KOs), of Brisbane, and International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior bantamweight world champion JERWIN “Pretty Boy” ANCAJAS (24-1-1, 16 KOs), of Cavite City, Philippines, defending his title against top-rated contender TEIRU KINOSHITA (25-1-1, 8 KOs), of Kobe, Japan. The live telecast will open with an eight-round middleweight rumble between SHANE MOSLEY, JR. (10-1, 7 KOs), of Pomona, Calif. and son of former three-division world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, and DAVID TOUSSAINT (10-0, 8 KOs), of Canberra, Australia.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN, @ESPNBoxeo, @ESPNDeportes. Join the conversation #PacHorn.

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the only sitting Senator to capture a world championship belt, will add another first to his burgeoning list of Hall of Fame-caliber accomplishments with his live debut on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (also streaming live on the ESPN app) on Saturday, July 1 at 10:00 p.m. ET. The fight will be called ringside by ESPN commentators Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas. They will be joined by guest analyst Timothy Bradley, Jr., a former two-division world champion recently trained by Teddy Atlas who has met Pacquiao three times in the ring, winning their first match in a decision. ESPN Deportes will pair Jorge Eduardo Sanchez and Juan Manuel Marquez to call the main event in Spanish, with prefight commentary from Pablo Viruega, Leopoldo Gonzalez, Claudia Trejos and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Pacquiao, the Boxing Writers Association of America’s reigning Fighter of the Decade, will defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown against undefeated No. 1 contender and Brisbane’s favorite son Jeff “The Hornet” Horn at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. This will be the first time Pacquiao has not fought on pay-per-view since Sept. 10, 2005, when he stopped Hector Velazquez in the sixth round — 12 years and four weight divisions ago.

ESPN’s coverage of “The Battle of Brisbane” will begin on Friday, June 30th, and includes live coverage of the Pacquiao and Horn weigh-in at 7 p.m. ET within SportsCenter on ESPN and within Golpe a Golpe on ESPN Deportes. During the week of June 26, classic Pacquiao fights will also be available on demand and streaming via the ESPN app, on both ESPN and ESPN Deportes, including Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton (5/2/2009), Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (11/12/11) and Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley (4/12/14).

The July 1 telecast will also feature Irish Olympic hero Michael Conlan (2-0, 2 KOs), from Belfast, in a six-round featherweight bout against Jarrett “Juarez” Owen (5-4-3, 2 KOs), of Brisbane, and International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior bantamweight world champion Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas (24-1-1, 16 KOs), of Cavite City, Philippines, defending his title against top-rated contender Teiru Kinoshita (25-1-1, 8 KOs), of Kobe, Japan. The live telecast will open with an eight-round middleweight rumble between Shane Mosley, Jr. (10-1, 7 KOs), of Pomona, Calif. and son of former three-division world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, and David Toussaint (10-0, 8 KOs), of Canberra, Australia.

Saturday, July 1st on ESPN and ESPN Deportes

9 p.m. – 10 p.m. ET: Top Rank Boxing: Undercards & Main Event Preview

Shane Mosley, Jr. vs. David Toussaint
10 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. ET: Top Rank Boxing: Main Event

Michael Conlan vs. Jarrett Owen
Jerwin Ancajas vs. Teiru Kinoshita
Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff “The Hornet” Horn
Sunday, July 2nd on ESPN Deportes

12:30 a.m. – 2 a.m. ET – SportsCenter

“Working with Top Rank on a match normally seen on pay-per-view is a significant moment for ESPN and for boxing fans,” said ESPN President John Skipper. “This fight, along with ESPN’s in-depth programming surrounding the fight, joins Wimbledon, Home Run Derby and the ESPYs in a stellar early July programming lineup.”

“The world has followed amazing Manny since he burst onto scene in his U.S. debut in 2001, where he knocked out Lehlo Ledwaba to win his second of a record eight division world titles. We are excited that ESPN will air this fight throughout the U.S. in both English and Spanish. It’s going to be an unbelievable event,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

“Manny Pacquiao has been one of the biggest global sports stars of his era, setting attendance and pay-per-view records for over the past decade. Now, as he defends his world title in front of yet another anticipated record crowd, he will be doing it to his biggest U.S. television audience on the world’s biggest and most prestigious sports network, ESPN,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank. “To have ESPN, which has treated its viewers to NFL, College Football Playoff and NBA playoff games, add Manny’s title fight to its roster is the biggest compliment one can give to Manny’s star power and a great gift to sports fans.”

Promoted by Top Rank® and Duco Events, in association with MP Promotions, “The Battle of Brisbane: Pacquiao vs. Horn” is expected to attract a sellout crowd of 55,000 fans, eclipsing the previous Australian record of 38,000 set on March 1, 1992 when Azumah Nelson stopped Jeff Fenech in the eighth round to retain his World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight title. The battle between the two Hall of Famers took place at Princes Park in Melbourne.

Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), a former two-term congressman, was elected to a Philippine Senate seat in May 2016, capturing over 16 million votes nationally. An international icon, Pacquiao is the only fighter to win eight world titles in as many different weight divisions. A three-time Fighter of the Year and the reigning BWAA “Fighter of the Decade,” Pacquiao’s resumé features victories over present and future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley. From 2008 to 2010, five of his seven victories were world title victories in five different weight classes, ranging from 130 to 154 pounds. No active boxer has sold more live tickets in the U.S. than Pacquiao, who is also credited with over 18 million domestic pay-per-view buys. After his disappointing unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. on May 2, 2015, a world championship fight that generated a record 4.5 million pay-per-view buys and over $400 million in television revenue alone, a healthy Pacquiao (he had suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder during the fourth round of the Mayweather fight) returned to the winner’s circle on April 9, 2016, winning the rubber match against five-time world champion Bradley. In a battle of Top-10 pound for pound fighters, Pacquiao sent Bradley to the canvas twice en route to a dominant 12-round unanimous decision victory. On Nov. 5, Pacquiao regained the WBO welterweight title for a third time when he shellacked the once-defeated defending champion Jessie Vargas via another dominant 12-round unanimous decision. Pacquiao has been trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach since 2001.

Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, enters the fight of his life having won his last three battles — all in 2016 — against Ali Funeka, Rico Mueller and Randall Bailey, inside the distance. They had a combined record of 105-14-4 when he fought them. The 2012 Australian Olympian’s background belies the warrior he has become inside the ring. Well-schooled inside and outside the ring, Horn received his Bachelor of Education degree from Griffith University and taught high school Physical Education even as he embarked on his professional boxing career. He began boxing at age 18 after being picked on by bullies and has been an advocate of anti-bullying campaigns. Immensely popular throughout Australia, Horn, 29, has become a national gate attraction in his own right. Selected the Australian Boxer of the Year in 2015, Horn is trained and managed by Glenn Rushton, the only trainer he has ever had, and assisted by former WBC super welterweight world champion John “The Beast” Mugabi.

For more information visit: www.toprank.com, www.espn.com/boxing; Facebook facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo, facebook.com/espndeportes; Twitter twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, @ESPN @ESPNBoxeo @ESPNDeportes. Join the conversation #PacHorn.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. (April 10, 2017) — Add Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia to the list of venues on foreign soil that will play host to a MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO fight. Boxing’s only eight-division world champion and the reigning Fighter of the Decade, Pacquiao has accepted the challenge of undefeated No. 2 world-rated contender JEFF “The Hornet” HORN to defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title, Saturday, July 1 (Sunday, July 2, in Australia). Promoted by Top Rank® and Duco Events, “The Battle of Brisbane” is expected to attract 55,000 fans and a record pay-per-view audience in Australia. It will also be seen live in the U.S. Look for details on the U.S. telecast in the following weeks.

“Manny has been a pioneer, bringing world title fights to Cowboys Stadium, The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena and now Suncorp Stadium. We’re boxing’s version of Lewis & Clark, discovering new markets,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. ” Manny knows who will be the crowd favorite on July 1, but he can’t wait to give Australia and the world a great performance. It’s going to be unbelievable event.”

Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, is in his third reign as WBO welterweight champion. He regained the title on November 5, winning a dominant unanimous decision victory over defending champion Jessie Vargas.

Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), from Bisbane, Queensland, Australia, enters this fight having won his last three fights — all in 2016 — against Ali Funeka, Rico Mueller and Randall Bailey inside the distance. They had a combined record of 105-14-4 when he fought them. Horn is world-rated No. 2 by the WBO and the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, or facebook.com/trboxeo,and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, or twitter.com/trboxeo, Use the hashtag #PacVargas to join the conversation on Twitter.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the promoter for Jeff Horn, DUCO Events says a bout with Manny Pacquiao is agreed to for July 2nd in Australia.

“We are extremely close to the deal being finalized, but Manny has signed,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN on Saturday night at the Vasyl Lomachenko-Jason Sosa card the company was promoting in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Horn said he believed the fight with Pacquiao would happen, telling Australian media outlets, “Finally this rocky road about announcing this fight is finally over. We can say it’s finally happening on July 2. I’d never actually thought Pacquiao would still be around when I was going to get my shot at the world title. I’m still young, still under 30, so I’m ready to take this shot.”