Australia’s Jeff Horn, the reigning WBO welterweight champ, has already caused one momentous upset: back in July when he stunned superstar Manny Pacquiao via (controversial) decision to take the title, and the unbeaten “Hornet” is confident he will pull off another coup in April by defeating P-4-P star Terence Crawford.
But as big a win as that would be and as big a sensation as that win would cause, and as much of a conformation of his fighting prowess such a win would get Horn, he still wants more. After he “defeats Crawford” Horn told The Courier Mail, he wants another massive fight in Las Vegas; maybe one with Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez!
“I know Crawford is a terrific boxer, but there are a lot of guys out there with his sort of speed and skills and I’m not overawed,” Horn, 18-0-1(12) said. “A lot of people say he is the best in the world right now but my whole career has been about fighting guys people said were way better than me and proving them wrong. Last year I beat Manny Paquiao who was an 11-time world champion across eight weight divisions and I’m going into this fight very confident I can do the job in America. I want to beat all the top welterweights and then maybe fight someone like Canelo Alvarez in a super-fight in Las Vegas.”
Needless to say, it would be some story if Horn were able to beat Crawford and then fight Canelo and beat him, too (we don’t know what Canelo will do post-May 5 and his return with GGG of course). Horn says he wants to beat the top welterweights in the world; and right now Crawford, though he has yet to fight at 147, lists himself as the top dog, followed by Errol Spence and Keith Thurman. Crawford has Horn ranked below the other belt-holders.
Is Crawford possibly, just possibly, underestimating Horn, a man who “Bud” himself acknowledges is a big man for a 147 pounder? If so, might we just see Australia’s favourite boxing son (of the moment) pull off an upset that would arguably dwarf the one he scored last July?
The April 14 fight in New York promises to be a most interesting one; and what happens following the fight should Horn pull off the victory will certainly prove to be very interesting indeed.