The future direction for WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs) is still a mystery.
Last month, Horn shocked the sport when he pulled off a twelve round unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao before a crowd of 51,000 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
There is an immediate rematch clause that Pacquiao can exercise.
Pacquiao, 38 years old, has not yet exercised that rematch clause. There is a realistic possibility that Pacquiao will retire from boxing and simply focus on his growing political career.
Last year, Pacquiao was elected to a senatorial position in the Philippines. He actually retired last April, but then returned in November to win the WBO belt from Jessie Vargas. He's yet to make an official decision on returning to the ring, returning against Horn or retiring from the ring.
If Pacquiao decides to retire, there is a possibility that Horn might defend his title against Terence Crawford (31-0, 22 KOs), according to Top Rank Vice President Carl Moretti.
Top Rank promotes Crawford and they have several fight options on Horn.
This scenario also depends on the outcome of Crawford's fight which takes place later this month, when he faces undefeated Julius Indongo. The contest, being televised by ESPN, will have the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC, WBO junior welterweight titles at stake.
The situation sill likely shake out before the end of the month.
"Well, I don’t know right now [what will happen with Jeff Horn]. You got the rematch being discussed between Jeff Horn and Manny Pacquiao, so depending on what happens with that decision, it could impact Crawford in some ways or it could not. If Manny decides to retire, then Jeff Horn could look at a fight with Terence Crawford if that made sense for everybody. But like anything else, it’s tough to predict now what’s going to be the case four months from now. You just have to play it out on every angle," Moretti told On The Ropes Boxing Radio.
