- Jeff Horn and Manny Pacquiao agreed to boxing rematch last month
- But on Friday, Pacquiao stood down from the flight, blamed scheduling conflicts
- Jeff Horn earlier defeated the Filipino fighter to claim the WBO welterweight title
- It is not yet known if the fight will be rescheduled or cancelled completely
Less than two weeks after it was announced boxing legends Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn would meet again in the ring, the former champion has backed out.
Brisbane Mayor Graham Quirk announced the rematch would take place in November late last month, explaining the Pacquiao, 11-time world champion, had to agree to the rematch before it would be funded.
But Pacquiao has now changed his mind, pulling out of a rematch of the fight which lost him his World Boxing Organisation welterweight world title to former schoolteacher Horn.
The much-anticipated rematch between Jeff Horn (right) and Manny Pacquiao (left) will no longer take place in November after the former World Champion dropped out of the fight
Pacquiao removed himself from the highly anticipated rematch, blaming a scheduling conflict with the existing November 12 date
Pacquiao is understood to have scheduling conflicts with the November 12 date, meaning Horn will have to find a challenger to defend his title.
Horn won Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight world title in controversial circumstances in July, with the epic 12-round fight leaving boxing fans around the world wanting more.
Graham Quirk announced the pair’s rematch outside Brisbane’s City Hall last month after an emergency meeting between council and boxing promoters.
Having refused previously to fund the fight until the 11-time world champion agreed to return, Cr Quirk said the council were working to bring the pair to Brisbane.
Horn won Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight world title in controversial circumstances in July, with the epic 12-round fight leaving boxing fans around the world wanting more
‘This opportunity really rested with Manny Pacquiao,’ he said.
‘It was the defender of the title going in to that bout who had the opportunity to have a rematch.’
The Filipino was hot favourite to win his 60th fight and wanted another shot at Floyd Mayweather Jnr.
But in front of his home crowd Horn took out the ‘Battle of Brisbane’, after the three judges scored the contest 117-111, 115-113, 115-113 in his favour.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach had said, in the build-up to the first Horn fight, that he would encourage his charge to retire if he lost.