Anthem Singers announced for the Battle of Brisbane
Australia’s Isaiah Firebrace and Philippine sensation Christine Allado along with The Word will sing national anthems July 2nd at ‘The Battle of Brisbane.
Australia’s Isaiah Firebrace and The Philippines’s Christine Allado have been selected to honor their countries, as they perform their respective national anthems in front of a record-setting crowd of over 55,000 fans at the historic world championship boxing event that will be headlined by ‘The Battle of Brisbane’ matching Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and unbeaten, #1 rated Aussie contender Jeff Horn. This historic extravaganza will take place on Sunday July 2nd at SunCorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.
Isaiah, winner of the eighth season of ‘X-Factor Australia’ in November of 2016, is an indigenous Australian recording artist whose debut single ‘It’s Gotta Be You’ has nearly over 100 million streams on Spotify. Most recently the 17 year-old singer has represented Australia in the ‘2017 Eurovision Song Contest’ in Kiev, Ukraine, and attended the ‘G’Day USA’ film industry showcase in Los Angeles in January, alongside stars including: John Travolta, Paul Hogan, Nicole Kidman and Chris Hemsworth.
Meanwhile, Allado is an emerging musical talent and all-around performer and actress from the Philippines who has appeared on stages and broadcasts all over Asia, and currently in London's West End. Credits include Vanessa "In The Heights" (2016), Maria "West Side Story" (2016) for the BBC 60th anniversary documentary, Ursula "Sweet Charity" (2016) at the Royal Exchange Theatre, among others. She has toured with classical tenor Andrea Bocelli in "Cinema: World Tour" which led her to perform for several tens of thousands in arenas and stadiums in the UK, Europe and Asia. She is an original member of the girl band "Zyrah", a classical crossover group with an epic cinematic influence. Alongside Allado will be a gifted group of 8 Filipino Pastors who perform under the banner The Word. This talented group, who are Pacquiao fan favorites have appeared all over the globe including Manila, Las Vegas, Macao, China and now Brisbane!
Promoted by Top Rank® and Duco Events, in association with MP Promotions, "The Battle of Brisbane: Pacquiao vs Horn" is expected to eclipse the previous Australian record of 38,000 set on March 1, 1992 when Azumah Nelson stopped Jeff Fenech in the eighth round to retain his World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight title. The battle between the two Hall of Famers took place at Princes Park in Melbourne.
Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), a former two-term congressman, was elected to a Philippine Senate seat in May 2016, capturing over 16 million votes nationally. An international icon, Pacquiao is the only fighter to win eight world titles in as many different weight divisions. A three-time Fighter of the Year and the reigning BWAA "Fighter of the Decade," Pacquiao's resumé features victories over present and future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley. From 2008 to 2010, five of his seven victories were world title victories in five different weight classes, ranging from 130 to 154 pounds. No active boxer has sold more live tickets in the U.S. than Pacquiao, who is also credited with over 18 million domestic pay-per-view buys. After his disappointing unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. on May 2, 2015, a world championship fight that generated a record 4.5 million pay-per-view buys and over $400 million in television revenue alone, a healthy Pacquiao (he had suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder during the fourth round of the Mayweather fight) returned to the winner's circle on April 9, 2016, winning the rubber match against five-time world champion Bradley. In a battle of Top-10 pound for pound fighters, Pacquiao sent Bradley to the canvas twice en route to a dominant 12-round unanimous decision victory. On Nov. 5, Pacquiao regained the WBO welterweight title for a third time when he shellacked the once-defeated defending champion Jessie Vargas via another dominant 12-round unanimous decision. Pacquiao has been trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach since 2001.
Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, enters the fight of his life having won his last three battles -- all in 2016 -- against Ali Funeka, Rico Mueller and Randall Bailey, inside the distance. They had a combined record of 105-14-4 when he fought them. The 2012 Australian Olympian's background belies the warrior he has become inside the ring. Well-schooled inside and outside the ring, Horn received his Bachelor of Education degree from Griffith University and taught high school Physical Education even as he embarked on his professional boxing career. He began boxing at age 18 after being picked on by bullies and has been an advocate of anti-bullying campaigns. Immensely popular throughout Australia, Horn, 29, has become a national gate attraction in his own right. Selected the Australian Boxer of the Year in 2015, Horn is trained and managed by Glenn Rushton, the only trainer he has ever had, and assisted by former WBC super welterweight world champion John "The Beast" Mugabi.
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