Manny Pacquiao pulls out of proposed rematch with Jeff Horn

A rematch with Jeff Horn is inevitable, but Manny Pacquiao will have to bow out of the earliest proposed date.

By most accounts, Manny Pacquiao beat Jeff Horn in the “Battle of Brisbane” in early July. But the judges are the only ones that ultimately count, and Horn won a controversial unanimous decision in his home country. A supposedly independent review, asked for by Pacquiao, confirmed the result.

A Pacquiao-Horn rematch for the WBO welterweight title had been proposed for Nov. 12. But according to the Australian promoters of the fight, Pacquiao will have to bow out due to his other responsibilities.

Pacquiao is currently serving as a senator in the Philippines, and duties related to that will take up his time leading up to early to mid-November and presumably keep him from training properly. He immediately said he wanted a rematch with Horn after the first fight, but it will have to wait until 2018 now.

"“On behalf of the Philippines government, he (Pacquiao) will be part of a delegation that will visit China in the middle of his proposed preparation period for the fight,” local promoter Dean Lonergan said. “Pacquiao is committed to fighting again in 2018 and a rematch with Jeff Horn for the WBO world welterweight title.”"

The promoters also added that American Jesse Vargas could take Pacquiao’s place in a fight against Horn later this year. A former world title holder, Vargas lost to Pacquiao in Las Vegas last November.

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Horn will have the home squared circle advantage, whenever what may be dubbed the “Battle of Brisbane 2” takes place. Home cooking from the judges may also take place again, so Pacquiao may have to be aggressive, try to knock out Horn and take the decision out of the judges’ hands. That strategy would also make him susceptible to being hit more often, making for an exciting fight.