Boxing great Manny Pacquiao has finally signed to fight Australian welterweight Jeff Horn in Brisbane.
Pacquiao, an eight-weight world champion, will put his WBO welterweight title on the line against the undefeated Horn.
"We signed the Jeff Horn contract this morning. Fight is July 2 in Brisbane, Australia," Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz told French news agency AFP.
The bout will be outdoors at Suncorp Stadium on a Sunday afternoon, timed to coincide with a prime-time Saturday night telecast in the United States.
It's a huge coup for Horn's New Zealand-based promoters Duco Events and further strengthens their relationship with Top Rank's Bob Arum, the American promoter of Pacquiao.
The development ends months of speculation around the fight.
In January Pacquiao signalled he would fight Horn but then did a u-turn, chasing a US$38-million (NZ$55m) proposed fight against Britain's Amir Khan. That fell over and now he has returned to the original schedule.
Horn has been a regular fighter in New Zealand, appearing on Joseph Parker undercards
Photo By: REUTERS (Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao will put his WBO belt on the line against Australian Jeff Horn in July).