The ghost of his most terrifying loss will haunt Manny Pacquiao come his next fight.
This was assured by Glenn Rushton, the trainer and manager of Pacquiao?s upcoming opponent Jeff Horn of Australia in a recent telephone interview with The Manila Bulletin/Tempo.
Rushton said Horn can easily simulate the same fighting style that Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez used in handing Pacquiao a terrifying 6th round knockout loss during their fourth face-off last December 2012.
?I believe Jeff can do what Marquez has done and actually do it a little bit better. The skill that Marquez used against Manny has been successful,? said Rushton. ?I believe Jeff Horn has those abilities but he?s slightly bigger than Marquez and a little bit faster and just a little bit more technically proficient.?
Rushton said it would be foolish to consider Horn as a mere tune-up for Pacquiao, the Filipino boxing sensation who is still reportedly aching for a rematch opposite one-time tormentor Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
?They are trying to put him in the same category as a fighter like Brandon Rios who just walked up against Manny Pacquiao. Jeff Horn is far more technically proficient than that,? said Rushton ?You?re talking of a man who made it into the quarterfinals of the Olympics so technically he is a very good boxer. When you back that up with a heart of a lion and a chin that?s like granite it?s going to be a great contest that?s all I can say.?
The 29-year-old Horn (16-0-1, 11 knockouts), the gold medal winner at the Arafura and Oceania Games, entered the quarterfinals of the 2012 London Olympics where he lost to eventual silver medalist Denys Berinchyk of Ukraine.
While Rushton likes their chances, he is still pulling out all the stops to make sure Horn will be at his best once he trades leathers with the Filipino boxing icon.
?Manny is a complete fighter and he has proven that for many many years. We are not underestimating the challenge in front of us,? added Rushton ?It?s going to be similar to the Marquez battles. It?s going to be intense. Of course, Jeff will get hit but he will bounce back and Manny will realize he is like Marquez, just coming at you.?
Pacquiao will stake his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown opposite Horn in a 12-round title bout on July 2 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.
