NAKIKIPAG-UGNAYAN na si Top Rank Inc. big boss Bob Arum kay Stephen Espinoza ng Showtime Sports na nagpahayag ng malaking interes na ipalabas sa Amerika ang nakatakdang pagdepensa ni WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao kay No. 2 contender Jeff Horn sa Abril 22.
Pinagpipilian pa ang venue sa Brisbane, Australia o sa United Arab Emirates.
Tulad ng huling laban ni Pacquiao, Top Rank ang mangangasiwa sa pay-per-view broadcast ng Pacquaio-Horn bout na ipalalabas naman ng Showtime sa telebisyon para sa mas malaking coverage sa buong daigdig.
Gusto ni Arum na gawin ang laban sa Suncorp Stadium sa Brisbane, Australia dahil popular ang 28-anyos na si Horn kaya tiyak na dudumugin ang laban na gustong ipalabas ng Top Rank sa premium cable, basic cable o free TV depende sa kasunduan sa Showtime.
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“I think it would be great for the sport, in particular with those overseas pay-per-views that are a challenge to market in the U.S.,” sabi Espinoza sa BoxingScene.com. “So there’s some logic to what Bob says. And if there’s an opportunity to be in that [Pacquiao] business, we would love to be in the running for it.”
“He’s still a name,” sabi ni Espinoza tungkol sa popularidad ni Pacquiao sa boxing fans. “There’s some challenges in the US with the name recognition of Jeff Horn. That’s remedied by not going to pay-per-view. You look at the elements for a successful pay-per-view, it’s a competitive matchup and ideally, two known commodities that are available and able to market. And if you’re missing any of those elements, you probably shouldn’t be going to pay-per-view, if you’re looking for a big level of success.”
Aminado si Espinoza na hindi pa niya nakikitang lumaban si Horn pero batid niyang napatulog ng Aussie boxer sina dating world champions Randall Bailey ng US at Ali Funeka ng South Africa.
“I haven’t,” diin ni Espinoza hinggil sa mga laban ni Horn. “I’ve spoken with his promoters [Duco Events]. They’ve been high on him for some time and we’ve talked about it. But I actually haven’t seen footage of him.”
