Manny Pacquiao is headed to the “Worldwide Leader.”
Pacquiao's (59-6-2, 38 KOs) July 1 World Boxing Organization 147-pound title defense against Australian Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs) will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The news was announced Monday by ESPN and Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank.
Pacquiao-Horn takes place at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, with organizers predicting a sellout crowd of over 55,000. Though the card airs on pay-per-view in Australia, it will be Pacquiao's first time fighting on basic cable in the West; Pacquiao's last non-PPV fight in North America was in September 2005, when he knocked out Hector Velasquez on HBO.