Horn-tooting to bait Manny?

A new name has surfaced in the sweepstakes to find WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent and it’s not Terence Crawford. Australia’s unbeaten prospect Jeff Horn is now in the queue to face Pacquiao and it’s not a remote possibility that they could meet at the 52,500-seat Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane sometime this year.

For a while, Mexican warrior Juan Manuel Marquez was the frontrunner in the lottery and reportedly went back to the gym to train for his farewell “retirement” fight last October. Marquez, 43, hasn’t fought in nearly three years and is itching for a last big paycheck that only a fifth encounter with Pacquiao could arrange.

We recently reached out to Marquez’ strength and conditioning coach Memo Heredia to check on the progress of his training. Heredia said he would reply to our inquiry. Marquez had said he would decide by the end of 2016 if after three months in the gym, he still had what it takes to beat Pacquiao. So far, Marquez hasn’t made an announcement one way or the other.

Marquez would be a perfect opponent for Pacquiao who’s planning to sign up for two more fights before retiring for good. The last two Pacquiao-Marquez bouts generated at least a million pay-per-view hits each. And since Marquez won their fourth battle via a dramatic come-from-behind KO in 2012, Pacquiao’s fans are eager for payback. There couldn’t be a more attractive theme for Pacquiao’s last two fights than redemption. First, Marquez and then, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

But with Marquez’ camp suddenly silent, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum is shopping for an alternative. Arum has a co-promotion deal with Duco Events, the New Zealand outfit that has Horn’s rights. In fact, Arum was at ringside when Horn halted South Africa’s Ali Funeka in the sixth round in Auckland last December. Arum was impressed with Horn’s showing and described the hard-hitting Australian as a throwback fighter with movie star looks.

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Horn, 28, is a former schoolteacher with an education degree from Griffith University in Queensland. He took up boxing at 18 when bullies pushed him around in school. Horn fell in love with the sport and became one of Australia’s top simon-pures, representing the country at the 2011 AIBA World Championships and the 2012 London Olympics. Horn lost to eventual silver medalist Denys Berinchyk of Ukraine, 21-13, in the London quarterfinals after picking up two wins.

Horn’s trainer is millionaire investment manager Glenn Rushton, a carpenter’s son who worked as a bricklayer, photographer and a health food store operator before making a fortune in property development. Rushton isn’t in Freddie Roach’s league but he’s a hard worker and quick learner.

What makes Horn vulnerable is a susceptibility to injury. Against Funeka, he took seven stitches to sew up a cut over his right eye. He has undergone surgery to repair a fracture in his left hand and another fracture in his thyroid cartilage. Horn has titanium pins and screws in his left hand and a titanium plate to protect his thyroid.

Although he’s unbeaten, Horn hasn’t been exactly untouchable. He was floored by former IBF welterweight champion Randall Bailey in the third round in Brisbane last April. Bailey, however, failed to finish off Horn and surrendered on his stool before the start of the eighth. Horn also took an eight-count in the third round of the fight against Funeka.

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Horn has fought fighters from Ghana, Cameroon, Brazil, Ukraine, France, Thailand, Germany, Indonesia and the US but never from the Philippines. His record is 16-0-1, with 11 KOs. The draw was with Cameroon’;s Riyan Cesaire in 2013. Cesaire was ruled unfit to continue because of a cut inflicted by an accidental headbutt and the bout went down as a third round technical draw. A few months later, they met in a rematch with Horn scoring a ninth round stoppage.

A family man, Horn has gone on vacation with his wife Jo, his mother and grandparents. His cousin is Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk. Not a few Australian fans are calling Horn the best fighter from Down Under since Jeff Fenech. It remains to be seen how far Horn will go in his quest for boxing fame and fortune. At the moment, he holds the IBF/WBO Intercontinental welterweight titles and is ranked No. 2 by both the IBF and WBO. Horn is rated No. 13 by the WBC and No. 10 by the WBA.

Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune, who is Australian, said Horn has the tools to beat a fighter like Jessie Vargas. If Horn doesn’t land an immediate Pacquiao fight, he could go up against Vargas or Tim Bradley next. Horn said Pacquiao easily outboxed Vargas in their recent fight. “Vargas is a very basic fighter,” Horn told Fox Sports. “He’s tough but he doesn’t do anything special. He just stands right in front of you with a long jab and right hand. If I was fighting Pacquiao I would move a lot more than Vargas did and give Pacquiao different angles the same way he did to Vargas. We’re training to be ready for anyone at any time. If we get the date to fight Vargas straight away, we’ll be ready and if we get the chance to take a fight before that, it’s even better.’’

Horn said a fight against Pacquiao would be a dream come true. “A couple of years ago, it would have been like a dream just to meet Pacquiao but now to get the chance to take his world title is amazing,” he said. “Things have certainly moved quickly for me in the last couple of years.”