US sports broadcaster ESPN has secured rights to the upcoming welterweight world title boxing clash between Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn.
ESPN will show live coverage of the main bout and the rest of the fight card during a three-and-a-half-hour broadcast from 9pm Eastern Time on July 1.
The fight will be the first Pacquiao bout to feature on basic cable in the US and also the Filipino’s first non-pay-per-view contest since pay-television broadcaster HBO showed his fight with Hector Velazquez in September 2005.
ESPN will also show the fight on its ESPN Deportes Spanish-language channel and on its official mobile-streaming application.
In addition, ESPN will broadcast live coverage of the pre-fight weigh-in on June 30, as well as offer on-demand streaming of classic Pacquiao fights on its mobile app in the week leading up to the bout.
ESPN agreed the rights deal with Top Rank, which is serving as the promoter of the fight at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.