ESPN to air ‘Battle of Brisbane’

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao has found ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports news coverage, as his newest partner to air his forthcoming title showdown with Australian Jeff Horn.

The “Battle of Brisbane,” expected to draw a live audience of 55,000 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, will mark the first time since 2005 that a Pacquiao fight will not be seen on pay-per-view (PPV) in the United States.

But it doesn’t mean that fight fans from around the world will not get to see the 38-year-old Filipino icon in action against the unbeaten Australian, who will try to shock the world.

Pacquiao has figured in 24 pay-per-view fights since March 19, 2005 when he fought Erik Morales in the first of three memorable fights.

The last Pacquiao fight that was not aired on pay-per-view was the one he had against Hector Velasquez in Sept. 10, 2005, a tuneup for the second Morales fight.

Pacquiao has starred in seven PPV fights that exceeded a million buys, topped by the 4.4 million buys for his historic 2005 showdown with Floyd Mayeather.

Now, ESPN has hooked up with the fighting senator from the Philippines. The fight will be aired on July 1 starting at 7 p.m. (US time).

GMA-7 will air the Pacquiao fight on July 2 starting at 10 a.m

“Working with Top Rank on a match normally seen on pay-per-view is a significant moment for ESPN and for boxing fans,” said ESPN president John Skipper in a statement distributed to the media by American publicist Fred Sternburg.

“This (Pacquiao) fight, along with ESPN’s in-depth programming surrounding the fight, joins Wimbledon, Home Run Derby and the ESPYs in a stellar early July programming lineup,” he added.

Timothy Bradley, who fought Pacquiao three times, will join Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore on the ESPN fight coverage. Juan Manuel Marquez, who fought Pacquiao four times, will lead the Spanish coverage for ESPN.

Based on reports, Pacquiao stands to make around $10 million for the title defense against Horn.

“We are excited that ESPN will air this fight throughout the US in both English and Spanish.  It’s going to be an unbelievable event,” said promoter Bob Arum.