Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane poised to grace Jeff Horn and Manny Pacquiao rematch

Melbourne and Sydney are poised to make multimillion-dollar offers to secure a rematch between Jeff Horn and Manny Pacquiao. But Horn’s head trainer Glenn Rushton suggested the states could not steal the rematch from Brisbane as he revealed that the likely venue for a possible rematch is the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall.

There are reports that a Horn-Pacquiao rematch could take place in November. However, Brisbane’s November heat is a concern for some.

Sydney’s 83,000-sitter ANZ Stadium has become a potential venue for a rematch after a management confirmed to The Courier Mail that the fight could be an opportunity to showcase the Harbour City to the world. At the same time, Etihad Stadium officials expressed interest to grace one of the anticipated fights in the world. The stadium can hold up to seat 56,000 under a retractable roof.

For Rushton, he thinks Boondall is a good option, pointing the tendency to have bad storms in November. “So there are a lot of risks there in trying to do that so I think the safe option would be to go to Boondall,” he said.

In comparison to Suncorp, which can accommodate up to 52,500 fans, the Entertainment Centre can hold only 15,000 people. The Battle of Brisbane has seen the Queensland capital advertised to millions of boxing fans from up to 159 countries, thanks to the telecast from Suncorp Stadium.

Too early for a venue

Duco Events’ Dean Lonergan pointed out how early it is for the venue to be discussed. But he said he was loyal to Queensland after its significant public and government support for the first fight. Lonergan further hinted a greater chance that a rematch will be held in Brisbane, not in Sydney or Melbourne, as he reportedly admitted he would prefer to see a second fight in Queensland.

Furthermore, he agreed the Brisbane Entertainment Centre is a good choice, considering it would be too hot in the open-air Suncorp. Lonergan and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk met last week, with the latter having the intent to secure the fight in Brisbane. “Make no mistake, any Jeff Horn rematch will be held in Brisbane,” Palaszczuk said.

Other states and countries also show interest to grace the rematch. Ultimately, Lonergan noted that the key to any rematch was Pacquiao first saying “yes.” He said the Filipino boxer has a rematch clause in his contract, but it remains unknown if he will take it.

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