By Keith Idec
Jeff Horn recognizes the public’s perception of his fight against Manny Pacquiao.
The Filipino superstar, despite that he’s 38, is easily the most accomplished, experienced opponent Horn has faced since the unknown contender turned pro four years ago. And nothing Horn has done in a boxing ring provides proof that he’ll upset Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), a 6-1 favorite, in their 12-round fight for Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title Sunday in Brisbane, Australia.
Horn is confident, nevertheless, that he has what it takes to win the biggest fight of his career at Suncorp Stadium, where a crowd that could exceed 60,000 is expected in Horn’s hometown.
“I just think I’ve got a style that Pacquiao hasn’t fought before,” Horn said during a conference call this week. “I just think he’s gonna struggle with my style. I’m bigger than him [by approximately three inches]. He might be faster than I am, but I’m pretty quick as well. And if I can find the right shot, you never know what happens.”
The 29-year-old Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), who represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, considers his comparatively low profile to be an advantage entering by far the biggest fight of his career.
“Manny Pacquiao is gonna be surprised,” Horn said, “at what I take to him in the ring. … To not be known as a fighter, that might be handy in this fight, as in Pacquiao hasn’t been able to study and maybe his team hasn’t been able to study what I can do. And maybe they’ve underestimated me in the fight. But in the same way, Pacquiao has fought so many tough guys before, in hard fights, so we all know his warts. He’s definitely got the experience on me, but whether youth or experience [wins out], we’ll see.”
ESPN will televise this bout between Pacquiao and Horn, his mandatory challenger, on Saturday night in the United States. The network’s four-fight telecast is set to start at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
