Security concerns block Pacquiao’s public training session

Promoters cancelled plans to hold a public training session with Manny Pacquiao in Brisbane yesterday.

Jeff Hornspars with trainer Glenn Rushton in the Brisbane CBD yesterday.

Manny Pacquiao’s promoters were yesterday forced to cancel a planned public training session in the heart of Brisbane city after Queensland police raised concerns over security surrounding the Filipino superstar.

Pacquiao was originally scheduled to appear alongside opponent Jeff Horn in a specially constructed ring as the pair continued their promotion for Sunday’s world title fight at Suncorp Stadium, which is expected to attract more than 50,000 spectators. However, Horn ended up making a solo appearance after Queensland police voiced their concerns that the crowd could swell to dangerous numbers if the WBO welterweight champion turned up.

The last time Pacquiao was in Australia, thousands of fans unexpectedly appeared at a television shoot when word got out that the Filipino icon was filming at what was meant to be a secret location.

Police were wary of a repeat yesterday and urged promoters to keep Pacquiao out of the public domain until fight day.

“You would notice Manny Pacquiao hasn’t shown up today and there is a very good reason for that,” said Duco Events executive Dean Lonergan, whose company has promoted the fight in tandem with US promoters Top Rank.

“We have had concerns from Queensland police all week about Manny doing major promotional appearances. The last time we had Manny out was about a month ago … and thousands and thousands of people turned up. He was swamped and at one stage it got quite hairy.

“Even though we have security around Manny on a regular basis it was felt that the safest thing to do was to not bring him down here. So for safety purposes Manny won’t be here today.”

Lonergan insisted security wouldn’t be an issue come fight day, with a heavy presence of police and private security to patrol Suncorp Stadium. Ticket sales for the fight have surged past 45,000 and the expectation is that they will reach the 50,000 mark by fight day, if not earlier.

A healthy number of those tickets will be in the hands of Pacquiao supporters — he flew to Australia on a private charter jet with more than 150 people in his entourage — although Horn will command loyalty from the vast majority of the crowd.

“There is going to be a massive police presence and a massive security presence at the venue,” Lonergan said. “We have no problem with that. Suncorp Stadium is used to running crowds of 50,000-plus. Punters at the stadium will be incredibly safe due to the increased security and police presence.

“But sometimes when it comes to Manny Pacquiao, as we experienced the first time round, he gets that adulation, particularly from the Filipino community, that we haven’t seen before.”

More than 2000 people atten­ded yesterday’s public training session, where Horn was put through a short workout by his trainer Glenn Rushton.

The 29-year-old is expected to comfortably make the weight for the fight and continues to present a confident facade, claiming yesterday that he had the power in his fists to bring a premature end to the bout.

“If I can land the right shot on Manny Pacquiao, he will go to sleep,” Horn said. “I don’t say that disrespectfully in that I am definitely going to knock Manny Pacquiao out. But if I land that shot, he is going to go down.”

Horn heads into the fight having stopped his past three opponents, that streak coinciding with an increase in the quality of his opposition. Horn has stepped up to the plate on each occasion, although Pacquiao represents a quantum leap in terms of quality compared to any of Horn’s previous 17 opponents. The gulf in experience between the pair — Pacquiao is 38 and about to fight for the 68th time as a professional — is tempered to an extent by the fact Horn is almost 10 years younger.