Manny Pacquiao might no longer be the headliner he was through the prime of his profession, however, the 38-year-old welterweight and future Hall of Famer returns to the ring Saturday night against little-known Australian Jeff Horn.
Pacquiao (59-6-2) is doing so on Horn’s home turf in Brisbane, Australia, at Suncorp Stadium. Horn (16-0-1) has conquered a couple impressive fighters in Randall Bailey and Ali Funeka to make the battle against the Filipino legend.
Pacquiao was successful at his final bout against Jessie Vargas past November, which struggle demonstrated that he still has his excellent boxing skills. That will make it difficult for Horn to establish any kind of consistent attack.
Pacquiao is a favored, according to OddsShark, meaning a bettor would need to risk $550 to earn a gain . Horn is a underdog.
Pacquiao hasn’t earned a victory via stoppage or a knockout because 2008, which was clearly not true when he was in his heyday. Pacquiao has registered 38 knockouts in his profession, but his fans haven’t been able to see him show off that once-formidable power several years.
Pacquiao is putting his boxing skills on display on television. The fight will be aired on ESPN and is going to be held Sunday afternoon time in eastern Australia. The boxing broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET Saturday.
The greatest assets in this stage in his profession of pacquiao seem to function as defense, his speed and ring generalship. Horn has shown some power and aggressiveness, and that could leave him vulnerable to getting caught with different combinations if he’s unable to contact Pacquiao on a constant basis.