Manny Pacquiao v Jeff Horn
There are two concerns for Pacquaio heading into this WBO welterweight title defence: his age, and Jeff Horn’s weight.
The Filipino is now 38 and has clearly slowed down since he was at his dominant best in the late 2000s.
He’ll also come into this bout weighing about 10 pounds less than Horn, who will bulk up considerably after making the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.
That size disadvantage means it is hard to imagine Pacquiao will be able to seriously trouble the Australian, particularly given the Filipino’s lack of punching power at this age.
All of his last six fights have gone the distance, and he hasn’t stopped an opponent since beating Miguel Cotto in the 12th round in November 2009 – 13 fights ago.
Still, he will surely beat Horn, who has never fought anyone anywhere near as accomplished as the first and only eight-division world champion.
To put the quality of Horn’s opponents into some context, Pacquiao is just the fourth man the Australian has faced with his own Wikipedia page.
Only five of the WBO Inter-Continental champion’s 16 professional bouts have been scheduled for 12 rounds.
There is little value in backing Pacquiao simply to win, given that he is .
Like any fighter, Horn has a puncher’s chance.
Unfortunately for him, though, he probably won’t land a solid punch on the 38-year-old, who famously stopped Oscar De La Hoya in the eighth round in 2008 at a massive size and weight disadvantage.
At , a Pacquiao decision victory clearly looks the most sensible bet.
If you fancy finding some value elsewhere, however, you can back the Filipino to win inside the first six rounds at our enhanced price of .
Given the gap in class between the two fighters, there is a chance he will be able to outwork Horn and blast him out early.
