After Horn, what’s up for Manny?

MANILA, Philippines - There are intriguing possibilities awaiting WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao after his title defense against Jeff Horn in Brisbane on July 2 and Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach said the other day he’d like a showdown with unbeaten WBC lightweight titleholder Mikey Garcia next on the agenda.

But first things first. Roach said Pacquiao can’t be sure of bowling over Horn and must be 100 percent prepared to deal with the former schoolteacher whose record is 16-0-1, with 11 KOs. “I’m told that Horn’s been training over five months,” said Roach. “He’ll come in ready. From what I know, (Vasyl) Lomachenko is now in Brisbane sparring with Horn.”

Lomachenko, 29, is the WBO superfeatherweight champion from Ukraine and is a southpaw like Pacquiao. The scouting report on Horn is he’s not as quick as Pacquiao on his feet, he likes to fight from a distance, darts in and out, attacks the body, shoots a punch at a time, has a strong right hand and doesn’t throw too many combinations. But you can’t be certain what he’ll bring to the table when the bell rings. Roach said there are two fighters training at the Wild Card Gym who fought Horn in the amateurs. “They didn’t tell me anything about Horn that I don’t already know,” he said. 

Roach said Pacquiao should be able to take care of Horn but that will depend on if he’s well-trained for the fight. Right now, Pacquiao is behind in his training schedule with the bout five weeks away. Pacquiao’s contract with Horn contains a return bout clause. Roach said if Pacquiao disposes of Horn, Garcia could be an exciting next option.

Garcia, 29, has a 36-0 record, with 30 KOs, and his victims include Filipino Bernabe Concepcion and Puerto Rican legend Juan Manuel Lopez who halted Gerry Peñalosa in 2009. “Mikey comes right at you,” said Roach. “He’d make a thrilling fight with Manny and I think Manny has a better chance of beating him than (Terence) Crawford. I wouldn’t take the Crawford fight because I don’t think it’ll sell. It wouldn’t be an exciting fight. But (Top Rank CEO) Bob (Arum) told me Manny’s last fight could be against Crawford. Amir Khan is another option but he also doesn’t draw unless the fight’s in Dubai. They’ve been talking about holding a big fight in Dubai for 30 years.”

Crawford, 29, is the WBC/WBO superlightweight champion with a 31-0 record, including 22 KOs. Three of his victims were Pacquiao sparmates Viktor Postol, Raymundo Beltran and David Rodela.

Roach said a Floyd Mayweather, Jr. rematch is a remote possibility. “First, Floyd will never fight in the Philippines,” said Roach, reacting to talk that the 55,000-seat Philippine Arena in Bulacan could be a site for the rematch, if ever. “He’s got a deal with MGM and he receives a monthly from them. Floyd’s not fighting outside of MGM. I don’t think a rematch will ever happen. But who knows? When his money runs out, Floyd will be looking for options.”

Roach said it’s 90 percent sure that Mayweather will fight UFC star Conor McGregor sometime this year. “Mayweather will kill him,” said Roach. “If it will be strictly boxing, Mayweather wins. If it’s MMA rules, McGregor wins. I know it will be strictly boxing and 99 percent of the time, the fighter who’s more familiar with the rules wins.” The scuttlebutt is Mayweather will receive a guarantee of upwards of $25 Million and a huge share of the pay-per-view revenue, estimated to be $125 Million, so he could walk away with $150 Million. 

“A rematch with Manny would be big but not as big as their first fight,” said Roach. “Fans will still watch it, particularly since Manny wasn’t 100 percent the first time around. I think it’ll be a 50-50 fight.”

Roach said once Mayweather raises his record to 50-0 with a win over McGregor, he probably won’t fight ever again. “He’s chasing Rocky Marciano’s record of 49-0,” he said.