Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn Scorecard Predictions, Odds and Prop Bets
Legendary eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao will be in action on Sunday at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, as he takes on local hope Jeff Horn.
Pacquiao, taking part in the 68th fight of his professional career, will be the heavy favourite for the bout being billed as the "Battle of Brisbane." But even for a competitor of his incredible experience, it'll be a new challenge; the man from the Philippines has never fought down under before.
Horn, who has won 16 and drawn one of his 17 professional bouts, is the underdog, although he will feel this is an opportunity to launch his career. Whatever the 29-year-old may go on to accomplish in boxing, it's unlikely he'll share the ring with a man of Pacquiao's standing ever again.
Below are the latest odds for the fight and a look ahead to what should be a tremendous occasion in Brisbane.
Fight Odds
Outcome
Pacquiao win (17-100)
Horn win (4-1)
Figures courtesy of OddsShark
Win Type
Pacquiao via decision or technical decision (Evs)
Pacquiao via knockout or techical knockout (13-10)
Horn via decision or technical decision (8-1)
Horn via knockout or techical knockout (14-1)
Draw or technical draw (25-1)
Figures courtesy of OddsChecker
Horn Chasing Historic Win
Although this fight is arguably one of the biggest in the history of Australian boxing, for Pacquiao, the buildup and the event itself will feel pretty low in profile.
The Boxing Kingdom Twitter account is trying to see the positives in a fight that hasn't captured the imagination of many:
Horn has enjoyed a rapid rise. His last two bouts, in particular, have been impressive, securing the IBF Inter-Continental welterweight title with a win over Rico Mueller in October last year with a ninth-round stoppage before retaining the WBO Inter-Continental welterweight title with a ninth-round win over Ali Funeka in December.
Now the welterweight has been handed a dream opportunity. Per ESPN's Dan Rafael, Horn is itching to get going in what is certainly the biggest fight of his professional career so far:
The dream chance has the potential to turn into a nightmare if Horn isn't on it, though, as Pacquiao has the quality to pour punishment on his opponents. Even at 38, he showed in his last outing against Jessie Vargas that he has fast hands and awesome stamina.
Indeed, Pacquiao is such an overwhelming favourite, his trainer Freddie Roach reckons he should call it a day if he doesn't get the job done here.
"Depending on how he lost, but I would probably encourage him to retire," said the legendary coach, per the Australian Associated Press (h/t ABC). "We have to win this fight. It is a crucial fight for us. We need to look good in this fight to get the bigger names interested."
As ABC's Michael Rennie relayed with this clip, the veteran has still looked razor sharp in the buildup to the contest:
While he may not boast the ferocious power that once saw Pacquiao knock out the likes of Ricky Hatton and Oscar de la Hoya, he's still an accomplished fighter. Since the loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and subsequent injury layoff, he's been dominant in decision wins over Timothy Bradley and Vargas.
Horn will feel as though he has a fine chance, and having completed 11 of his 16 wins inside the distance, he clearly has power to cause Pacquiao issues. But if the away fighter can take the sting out of what promises to be a fast start, his talent will take the bout away from the Australian.
Prediction: Pacquiao via decision
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