JEFF Horn will fight all-time boxing great Manny Pacquiao on April 23 in the biggest fight in Australian history.

The second biggest fight will be between venues to host it, with late interest from the Middle East threatening to steal the super-bout overseas.

A week after The Courier-Mail broke the story, Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum confirmed Horn, Brisbane’s “Fighting Schoolteacher’’ would face Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight title with Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium the preferred venue.

But Horn’s promoters are planning to meet with state governments from Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia in the next two weeks to keep the fight from going offshore.

The fight is planned as a Sunday lunchtime bout in Australia for Saturday night primetime viewing in the US.

Horn’s backer Dean Lonergan met Arum in Las Vegas to seal the deal and Lonergan is now working on raising the funds to stage the fight in Horn’s hometown. Arum said it would be televised to 159 countries and would be a pay-per-view event in Australia.

At a press conference at Toowong’s Regatta Hotel, Horn said he would love the fight to be at the 50,000-seat Suncorp but Lonergan maintained the fight would go to wherever it made “the most commercial sense’’.

A strong bid is expected to come from Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium, where 56,000 people saw Holly Holm beat Ronda Rousey in a women’s UFC fight in 2015 and promoters are also looking at the 21,000-seat Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

TACTICS: Fenech outlines blueprint for Horn to beat Pacquiao

They also plan an approach to the South Australian Government which has underwritten the Danny Green-Anthony Mundine rematch at Adelaide Oval on February 3.

Pacquiao’s Canadian adviser Mike Koncz also claims there are bids from Dubai and Abu Dhabi and that “the bottom line is we are looking for the best financial package for Manny’’.

Horn said he always dreamt about getting a world title shot one day “but I never thought it would be against Manny Pacquiao in my own back yard.’’

“This surpasses my wildest dreams,’’ he said.

media_camera Facing Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium would be a huge deal for Horn. Pic: Mark Cranitch.

The fight is expected to cost less than $10 million to stage and most of that will go on Pacquiao’s rumoured $US5 million purse.

The Filipino whirlwind has been fighting for 22 years and won 11 world titles across eight weight divisions from 51kg to 70kg.

Horn’s manager Glenn Rushton said the fight would be a unique event in Australia and it would be a “shame’’ to see it go to a stadium in the United Arab Emirates or even to a venue in America.

“Pacquiao is an athlete on a phenomenal level,’’ Rushton said.

“To have one of the greatest boxers in history come to Brisbane to box a young man who is a schoolteacher by profession and a wonderful role model for young Australians would be a great moment in Australian sports history.

“Jeff Horn is a kid who can really make Queensland proud against one of the greatest boxers of all time.

“We could also expect a huge influx of tourists and thousands of Pacquiao fans would fly down from the Philippines to cheer on their hero. The fact that Jeff was an Olympian can only help promote the Commonwealth Games coming up next year.’’

media_camera Even at 38, Pacquiao still packs a punch. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP

While Pacquiao’s team has warned Horn that his dream fight will quickly become a nightmare, the unbeaten 28-year-old says the Filipino great – 10 years his senior – has slipped “10 per cent’’ from the first time he saw him fight Oscar De La Hoya in 2008.

Horn will start a massive underdog in the fight and says his best chance of victory is to catch Pacquiao leaping in.

Pacquiao, who won the WBO welterweight title with a points decision over Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas in November, has not scored a knockout win since 2009 and has lost three of his past eight fights.

He was knocked cold in six rounds by Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.

“I know I have the power to hurt him,’’ Horn said.

“If I land a clean shot on Pacquiao when he’s coming forward I’ll hurt him. That’s what I’m hoping for — to catch him on the chin as he rushes in.’’

Horn is unbeaten in 17 fights. Pacquiao has 59 wins, six losses and two draws.

Pacquiao’s 2015 loss against Floyd Mayweather was the most lucrative fight in history, generating $600 million.

Originally published as Battle to keep Pacquiao-Horn fight in Australia