Pacquiao vs. Horn: Tale of Tape, Fight Records and More for Both Boxers

Manny Pacquiao is set to defend the WBO welterweight championship against unheralded challenger Jeff Horn on Sunday (Saturday night in the U.S.) at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

It's the first fight of 2017 for Pac-Man, who scored unanimous decision victories over Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas last year. The eight-division world champion has won five of his last six fights dating back to 2013, with the sole loss coming to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Meanwhile, Horn is getting a chance to secure a major breakthrough by taking on one of the top fighters of the current era. While he owns an undefeated record through 17 career bouts, Sunday's matchup represents a serious step up in the level of competition.

Tale of the Tape

Record: Pacquiao (59-6-2; 38 KOs) — Horn (16-0-1; 11 KOs)

Age: Pacquiao (38) — Horn (29)

Height: Pacquiao (5'5 ½'') — Horn (5'9'')

Reach: Pacquiao (67'') — Horn (68'')

Stance: Pacquiao (southpaw) — Horn (orthodox)

All boxer information courtesy of BoxRec.

Fight Preview

The announcement of Horn as Pacquiao's next opponent came as a surprise given some of the more high-profile names that were speculated, led by Amir Khan.

Now the Brisbane native has a golden opportunity to prove he deserved the opportunity in front of what should be a raucous home crowd. He shouldn't need any added motivation heading into the biggest bout of his career, but the fans will provide one, if necessary.

The 29-year-old Aussie is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Ali Funeka in December. While it was an impressive showing, it does little to help forecast what will happen against Pac-Man.

Horn said during an appearance on Fox Sports he's hopeful the early reports on Pacquiao struggling in training camp were accurate, per BoxingScene.com.

"I'm hearing all the reports that Pacquiao looks terrible sparring and that's great," he said. "All along I think he has been underestimating me. His mates would have been telling him for weeks that I'm not in the class of the guys he's beaten and I hope they keep telling him that. He probably thinks he's coming to Brisbane to make an easy $10 million but he's in for a shock."

Rappler noted the Filipino sensation downplayed the idea he's overlooking the challenger:

Even though this fight could be Horn's big break, it's also an important clash for Pacquiao to prove he's still one of the best boxers in the world.

He hasn't secured a victory by knockout since 2009 over Miguel Cotto. Being unable to finish fights early leaves him at the mercy of the judges, which played a role in his controversial split-decision loss to Timothy Bradley back in 2012.

Yet, Aquiles Z. Zonio of PhilBoxing.com pointed out Pacquiao isn't concerned about two of the key talking points heading into the collision: his advanced age and taking on what amounts to a road fight.

"Age? Oh, it's nothing but just a number," Pac-Man said.

He added: "Fighting in an opponent's turf is not a problem to me. A huge crowd cheering for my opponent will just motivate me further. When we climb atop the ring, only the two of us will trade vicious punches. So, I feel it's never an advantage on the part of my opponent."

Ultimately, Horn is a wild card. He's showcased potential against lesser opponents, but his pedigree against an opponent like Pacquiao is untested. So it seems like a fight Pac-Man should win, but questions will still be raised if he doesn't finish it inside the distance.

Prediction: Pacquiao by unanimous decision