​Jeff Horn Is The Nice-Guy Aussie Pugilist On The Cusp Of Securing A Fight With Manny Pacquiao

In the so-called "poor man's sport" of boxing, Jeff Horn sticks out as a well-educated, well-spoken man from a "good family." The 28 year old former-school teacher from Brisbane, who took up fighting in a self-defence class to ward off bullies, is a good chance of securing a fight with one of the greatest boxers ever to lace on a glove, Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao.

"We are very excited about this fight,'' Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum told Fox Sports.

"Jeff Horn is the kind of young man who really enhances any sport. He's well spoken, looks good, comes from a good family and being a former schoolteacher is a well-educated young man. He's a real asset to the sport and a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn is something that is great for boxing."

The fight, if it were to go ahead would take place at Brisbane's Suncorp stadium on April 23rd and give the second-ranked Horn the chance to claim Pacquiao's welterweight world title.

The 38 year old Filipino, who has won titles in weights ranging from 50 kilos to 70 kilos, has spent the last several years fighting out of the USA but has signalled his intention to take his fights around the world as he enters his career twilight. Pacquiao is second only to Filipino President Duerte in terms of his public profile, serving as a senator in his homeland and hoping to one day become President. Australia is a reasonably short flight from the Philippines and is home to a significant Filipino population. All of which heighten the chances of Brisbane securing the fight, if they can withstand bids from as far afield as England, Qatar and the Ural Mountains in Russia.

No figure has yet been put forth for the fight but Pacquiao is waiting to see one before he agrees. His promoter has said, however, they will not be demanding the $USD20 million they did for his recent fight with Terence Crawford in America last April.

Horn is fresh off a heroic fightback victory against South African Ali Funeka - the number eight contender for Pacquiao's welterweight title. Despite the South African holding a ten centimetre height advantage and flooring Horn in the 3rd following a head clash and a couple of body shots, the Australian fought back to drop Funeka in the 5th and 6th with big rights before it was stopped 30 seconds into the 6th.

Asked about the prospect of fighting one of the all-time greats, Horn said he thought Pacquiao had lost "ten percent" of his ability, which, along with the ten year age gap between the pair might be enough to tip the scales.

"Manny is still a great fighter — one of the greatest boxers ever but I feel I have the skills to beat him. He's 38 and I'm 28. He's slipped a little from his very best and I think now is a great time to challenge him," Horn told Fox Sports.