?Pacquiao got out-muscled, out-maneuvered, out-thought and out-fought by Jeff Horn. Why can?t Terence Crawford??
As reported by ESPN, on Saturday, April 14, at New York?s Madison Square Garden, WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs), from Brisbane, Australia, will defend his title against former unified light welterweight champion Terence Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs), the mandatory from Omaha, Nebraska, in his first fight at 147 pounds.
?There?s so much rich history that goes with it,? said Horn?s promoter, Dean Lonergan, about fighting at the legendary Garden. ?You?re on a global stage and also what this presents to Jeff is a massive opportunity going forward. If Jeff [can] establish himself in the American market, that?s what every boxer wants.?
Horn has already conquered Australia. Presumably New York and the world come next, assuming Horn manages to get by Crawford.
?While the Australian market is a good market, it?s not quite America, where you?ve got the biggest economy in the world, 300 million people and massive boxing support. I don?t think we?ve seen anything like this in a very, very long time.?
However diminished Manny Pacquiao is these days, he was thought to be less diminished when he fought and lost his WBO title to ?The Hornet.?
?If he was ever going to be intimidated it would have been [in that fight],? Lonergan continued, ?and we all saw how he went with that?totally relaxed, happy with what was going on. Madison Square Garden only holds 22,000. I don?t think the crowd size is going to worry him.
?If the crowd boos him?and I don?t think they will?he?ll just rise to the occasion and that?ll give him some added motivation.?
Lonergan couldn?t contain his enthusiasm, not that he exerted much effort.
?This will be an absolutely massive fight night, Jeff Horn fighting against one the best fighters in the world?fighting for his right to be recognized as not only one of the best fighters but the best fighter in the world.
?If you beat the pound-for-pound fighter, what do you become?
?This is Jeff?s chance to stamp his authority on the welterweight division and it?s also his chance to make a statement to the entire boxing world, particularly to the American critics and the American boxing public.
?If Jeff starts to establish himself in the American market, that?s what every boxer wants. This is a chance at the big time?We want the big fights, we want a chance at glory, we want to do what no one has ever done before.?
Horn stopped Gary Corcoran in his last fight, a nice follow-up to his win over Pacquiao. But neither man is Terence Crawford, as Horn will likely discover.
?Nobody thought that Jeff Horn was going to beat Manny Pacquiao,? said Lonergan. He?s beaten one of the all-time greats and, in my opinion, he?s going to beat a guy that is known as the best pound-for-fighter.
?Technically he (Crawford) is a very proficient, very good boxer who everyone seems to be scared of because he cleaned up the division below. But guess what? Crawford is coming up. I don?t think he?s seen anyone with the awkward style of Jeff Horn, the come-forward style of Jeff Horn, the sheer strength of Jeff Horn and he?s a big welterweight.
?Manny Pacquiao got out-muscled, out-maneuvered, out-thought and out-fought by Jeff Horn. Why can?t Terence Crawford?
?He ain?t no superman.?
