If Jeff Horn shocked the boxing world with his wholly unexpected July 2017 decision win over Manny Pacquiao, what will the reigning and defending WBO welterweight champion achieve if he manages to defeat the unbeaten Terence Crawford in the upcoming April 21 fight in Las Vegas? Well, according to Team-Horn, the champ’s trainer Glenn Rushton in particular, “The Hornet,” as the also undefeated Horn in known, will achieve nothing less than greatness with an upset win over the former 135 and 140 pound king.
Horn might be the 147 pound champ, and Crawford might yet to have even boxed at welterweight, but most people fully believe that Horn needs to pull off nothing short of a monster upset if he’s to return home to Australia with his belt – an even bigger upset than the one he scored just over six months ago.
“We’re not running from anyone,” Rushton told The New Daily. “If you want to be the best you’ve got to beat the best. As a welterweight, he [Crawford’s] not big. He gets hit – it will be interesting to see how he takes the power of Jeff Horn. We’re confident of our chances – the bookies aren’t, but we are. He [Crawford] switches at will from a southpaw to an orthodox stance. He’s one of the very few boxers in the world that can do that. He’s a brilliant counter-puncher, he’s a great boxer, we’re up for the challenge.”
Horn is a big man for a welterweight, but will this work against him against the slick and speedy Crawford? Will Horn, who reports say has encountered problems making weight, take too much out of himself by making 147 once more? In many ways, despite the overwhelming perception that Crawford will definitely win, the April 21 fight is one of the most intriguing match-ups of the year.
If Horn wins, his critics must agree how he has greatness in him, while if Crawford wins, his march towards greatness will continue. Can we expect a chess match type of encounter in Vegas or will the bigger, possibly stronger and harder-hitting Horn be successful in making the fight a war? Again, it’s hugely intriguing.