Manny Pacquiao’s world title fight with Jeff Horn will be “short and sweet” with a knockout likely, his trainer predicted Wednesday, as his Australian challenger said he was “ready for war”.
The legendary Filipino, one of the greatest fighters of his generation, is widely tipped to triumph over the unbeaten Horn in front of an expected 50,000 people at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
“He (Manny) doesn’t like to predict knockouts and so forth but I think it is going to be short and sweet,” trainer Freddie Roach told reporters at a press conference ahead of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight bout.
“I think it won’t last too long and someone will get knocked out.”
Roach on Tuesday suggested the fight was a stepping stone for the eight-weight world champion to secure a rematch with American rival Floyd Mayweather, who outpointed Pacquiao in the “Fight of the Century” two years ago.
Horn’s camp hit back, with the former school schoolteacher’s promoters taking a dig at Pacquiao for spending most of the press conference looking at his mobile phone.
“Not only is Manny Pacquiao an eleven-time world champion… he is also a world champion texter, because he never gets off his bloody phone,” Dean Lonergan said.