When Top Rank chairman Bob Arum flew to New Zealand two weeks ago to co-promote the vacant heavyweight world title fight between Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz Jr., he cut a deal in the days leading up to the bout with Duco Events promoters Dean Lonergan and David Higgins to serve as Parker’s co-promoter for future fights he may have in the United States and China.
Parker won a majority decision and the belt and Arum, who also promotes Ruiz, is now back in the heavyweight title picture for the first time in years. But in addition to Parker, Arum’s deal also called for similar rights to other fighters in Duco’s stable should those boxers fight in the United States or China, where Top Rank has a growing business thanks in large part to newly crowned flyweight titleholder Zou Shiming.
Besides Parker, one of Duco’s top boxers is welterweight Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), a 28-year-old from Brisbane, Australia, who survived a knockdown and knocked out veteran Ali Funeka in the sixth round in the Parker-Ruiz co-feature. Arum told ESPN he has big plans for Horn next year in the United States.
Arum has Horn, who represented Australia in the 2012 Olympics, in mind as the next opponent for either Timothy Bradley Jr. or Jessie Vargas, both Top Rank fighters and former welterweight titleholders.
“The kid is not only a terrific fighter but he looks like he looks a movie star,” Arum said. “Bruce (Trampler, Top Rank’s head matchmaker) was with me in New Zealand and was very impressed with him. And he’s articulate and a former school teacher. We’re going to call him ‘The Fighting School Teacher.’”
Arum said Horn is anxious to come to America to prove himself on a bigger stage than he has in Australia or New Zealand.
“His goal is to fight a top guy, Vargas or Bradley, and if he beats them go into a fight with Manny Pacquiao,” Arum said. “But you can’t just fight Manny Pacquiao. You have to earn it.”
Bradley is 1-2 against Pacquiao – though most strongly believe he is 0-3 – and Vargas lost a lopsided decision and his belt to Pacquiao on Nov. 5. Arum said both are expected to return to the ring in the first quarter of 2017.
Arum said he hopes to match Horn with either Vargas or Bradley and “as far as I am concerned, if Jeff Horn is successful against either Vargas or Bradley early next year, Pacquiao is a real possibility after that for this kid.”
Arum said even though Horn is not a well-known name in the United States a fight with Pacquiao down the road would still generate revenue thanks to the international television money he would bring “because of pay-per-view in Australia and New Zealand.”
Nothing is set for Pacquiao’s next fight but Arum said it is penciled in for sometime in April in order to coincide with a recess in the senate, where Pacquiao serves in the Philippines.
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