Dean Lonergan, the promoter of WBO welterweight champ Jeff Horn, is mad as hell. For although we all read last week how a rematch between Horn and Manny Pacquiao had been agreed to for Brisbane, Australia in November, Pac Man has reportedly had a change of heart.
According to a story in The Daily Telegraph, Pacquiao wants to wait until next year for the rematch and this has prompted Lonergan to “seek a fight with someone else if Pacquiao isn’t available in November.”
“To say he’s having second thoughts is pissing me off,” Lonergan said. “If he carries on again, it would be my advice to move on and forget about him. We’ve already booked the venue for November 12.”
Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum says he will speak with Manny this week to get clarification on just what the former champ, was who was upset by Horn in July, wants to do.
“That was a very physical fight and he may feel like he needs more time to get ready,” Arum said. “Whatever happens we’ll do a title defence for Jeff in November against a top welterweight in Brisbane. Jeff is a young guy and we have an obligation to him to have him earn money and keep him active. If it’s not Manny (he fights next) you adjust prices and maybe do it at a smaller venue.”
So, unless Pacquiao agrees to take the fight in November, and soon, Horn will likely be making his first title defence against someone else. It will be interesting to see which fighter Horn winds up facing if the Pacquiao return does stall, but as fans know, the welterweight division is crammed full of quality fighters so there are plenty of possibilities.
Hopefully that Horn-Pacquiao rematch will happen though, even if we have to wait until 2018 for it. Fans are eager to see if Horn can repeat his stunning win, or if Pac Man merely got it wrong on July 2 and can avenge his close decision loss. If he does wait until next year to take the fight, Pacquiao will certainly have enough time to get himself 100-percent ready. There will be no excuses this time; if the rematch actually happens.