WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs) is motivated to make a real name for himself on a worldwide level.
Horn became an instant superstar in Australia back in July, when he pulled off a major upset with a twelve round unanimous decision over heavily favored Manny Pacquiao before a crowd of 51,000 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Last week, Horn made his first defense of the title with an eleven round stoppage of Gary Corcoran, also in Brisbane.
Now Horn is lined up for the toughest fight of his career, a mandatory defense against Terence Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs), who is widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Crawford unified the entire junior welterweight division in 2017 when he knocked out Julius Indogo to unite the IBF, WBO, WBA, WBC world titles.
Now Crawford is ready to make a big splash in the welterweight ranks.
Horn is more than willing to do the fight - if the money is right.
He views Crawford as the perfect opponent to make his own big splash, in the United States.
“I’m very happy to go to Las Vegas and fight Crawford,” Horn said to Courier Mail.
“I believe I have the size and the strength to beat him. I want America to see me as a boxer with a lot of heart and a really entertaining style.”
Horn will be working with Dundee Kim, a strength and conditioning coach, in late January.
Kim and his team of assistants will help head trainer Glenn Rushton prepare Horn for the fight with Crawford.
“Dundee and his guys put in so much hard work for me with the punching pad work and weight training, and it pays off in the ring,” Horn said.
“I’m getting stronger and more confident with every fight and I’m looking forward to giving my best performance ever against Crawford.”
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum is looking at staging Crawford vs. Horn on April 21 at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.
