Manny Pacquiao v Jeff Horn at Suncorp Stadium Poised to Break Record

June 15, 2017 8:00am

THE biggest sporting event in Queensland history is about to get much bigger.

Officials at Suncorp Stadium have secured an exemption to increase seating to 60,000 for next month’s Battle of Brisbane boxing showdown between local hope Jeff Horn and megastar Manny Pacquiao.

Thousands of extra tickets go on sale this morning.

The super bout could smash State of Origin crowd numbers and a record that has stood for 20 years — the 58,912 who saw the Broncos win the 1997 Super League grand final at QEII Stadium.

 

So far, almost 50,000 tickets have been sold for the July 2 WBO welterweight world title fight, which will be beamed to 180 countries.

Horn, 29, has been filming short segments about Queensland’s natural beauty spots, to be shown during the telecast to the huge global audience.

The extra tickets would be for purpose-built seats on the hallowed Suncorp surface, with 52,000 being accommodated in the permanent grandstands.

There were already provisions for some VIP and high-end ringside seats.

Horn might be in serious combat mode, but Brisbane’s Fighting Schoolteacher remains a kid at heart.

He took a well-earned break from training to fly via helicopter to Tangalooma Island Resort on Sunday.

He and his wife Jo spent the day sandboarding, visiting shipwrecks and feeding wild dolphins.

“It was sensational and just the spell I needed as I go into the last tough phase of preparation for the fight,’’ Horn said.

“Going down the sandhills was a real thrill but winning the world welterweight title from Pacquiao will be an even bigger one.’’

While his weekend holiday was a slice of heaven, Horn admits next week will be tough, with two torrid sparring sessions against Filipino Czar Amonsot before tapering his training in the days leading up to the fight.

Pacquiao is due to arrive in Brisbane on Saturday, June 24, on a chartered airliner with 200 of his family members and friends.

 

Some of the greatest boxers in history have confirmed they will be ringside, including Roberto Duran, Evander Holyfield, Thomas Hearns and John Mugabi.

The new ticket allocation will range in price from $300 to more than $1000. There are still some seats available through Ticketek for less than $40.