By Miguel Rivera
For several months, 2012 Australian Olympian Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs) has been studying Manny Pacquiao's 2012 knockout loss at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez.
It was their fourth fight against each other, with Marquez landing a perfect counter-shot that sent Pacquiao out cold in the closing seconds of the sixth round.
Horn has been reviewing the footage of that perfect punch, over and over, and believes he can land an identical punch to put Pacquiao to sleep in similar fashion.
Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight title against Horn on Saturday night [Sunday in Australian] at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
More than 50,000 fans are expected to pack the stadium, many of them in support in their local fighter Horn. The fight will be televised for free in the United States by ESPN.
The man who knocked Pacquiao out cold, Marquez, has serious doubts that someone like Horn - who lacks experience against top opponents - is capable of scoring this type of knockout. He doesn't give Horn much of a shot to upset the very experienced Pacquiao.
"To knock Pacquiao out, you have to know him. I had 36 rounds with him [before that fourth fight], I already knew what he was doing and that's why that knockout came at the perfect moment when we wanted it - but beforehand I already knew him and in this case Jeff Horn does not know him, and because of that it will be difficult [to get that king of knockout]," said Marquez to ESPN Deportes.
"The important thing in this fight is the experience factor, and that's in favor of Pacquiao, but Pacquiao must look to get the knockout so he can return to the forefront, that he's still there in the forefront - to convince the people and promoters and the television networks. He will have to convince and knock Horn out."