Manny Pacquiao Next Fight: Jeff Horn Rematch Coming In 2017

After suffering a shocking defeat, Manny Pacquiao will get his shot at redemption. He will face Jeff Horn before the end of 2017, looking to regain the WBO welterweight championship that he lost on July 1 in Brisbane, Australia.

Pacquiao’s next fight will be the 69th of his career, and Horn will become the fifth opponent that he’s faced more than once. Horn defeated Pacquiao by a controversial unanimous decision last month, having entered the bout as a heavy underdog.

READ: Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn Round By Round Scorecard, Recap

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told Boxing Scene that Pacquiao has exercised his right for a rematch. The fight is expected to take place at some point in November, though the exact date is unclear at this time.

“Now, the question is because of his senatorial duties we have to find a window where he can do the fight and train for the fight appropriately,” Arum told Boxing Scene. “So we can't use the schedule the Senate had last year because now the country is under martial law. So Manny is now working that out with the president of the Senate, the president of the country and we are going to be arriving at like a two-week window where we can schedule a fight with Horn.”

Even though Pacquiao lost to Horn in their first meeting, the betting odds should be heavily in his favor, once again. Many watching the fight, including the commentators on the ESPN broadcast, were stunned when Horn was announced as the winner.

Horn came out firing to start the fight, and many of the rounds appeared to be close. The raw numbers, though, indicate that Pacquiao was the dominant fighter.

According to Compubox, Pacquiao landed 182 total punches to Horn’s 92, and Horn’s 73 power punches were 50 fewer than what his opponent was able to execute. Horn was the more active fighter, attempting 626 punches, but he landed just 14.7 percent of those attempts.

If Horn got any type of advantage by fighting in his native country, there’s a good chance he’ll have the same edge in the rematch. More than 51,000 fans were in attendance at Suncorp Stadium to see the first fight.

“It doesn't necessarily have to be in Australia but Australia has shown the most interest and the various provinces in Australia - which are like equivalent to our states - are indicating interest. I know Queensland wants to do the rematch where Brisbane is a part of and New South Wales, which is where Sydney is, wants to do it and Victoria where Melbourne is. So we'll see but it looks like it will be in Australia,” Arum said.

Pacquiao has been on the wrong end of a couple of controversial losses as the WBO welterweight champion. He first lost the belt to Timothy Bradley in 2012 when most of the boxing world thought he did enough to win by unanimous decision.

READ: Manny Pacquiao Talks Possible Outcome For Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor

Despite the controversies, another loss for Pacquiao might mark the end of his career. He’s suffered legitimate defeats to both Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather in between his losses to Bradley and Horn, and he’ll be 39 years old in December with responsibilities as a Senator in the Philippines.

Pacquiao retired last April after defeating Bradley for the second time, but he quickly returned, beating Jessie Vargas seven months later.