By Keith Idec
Terence Crawford is well aware most boxing fans and media think he’ll easily expose Jeff Horn on June 9.
Crawford commonly is considered one of the top two boxers, pound-for-pound, in the sport. The former undisputed 140-pound champion dominated an undefeated title-holder in his last fight, before knocking out Julius Indongo in the third round August 19 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Handicappers have installed Crawford as a 14-1 favorite over Horn, who upset Manny Pacquiao nearly 11 months ago to win the WBO welterweight title.
All signs obviously point to Crawford winning, but he knows that the bigger, rugged Horn will present plenty of challenges during what figures to be a very physical fight for Horn’s WBO welterweight title in Las Vegas.
“I tell everybody Jeff Horn is a real crafty type of guy,” Crawford told BoxingScene.com. “On the outside, you look at him and you don’t think much of him. But then, when you’re inside the ring with him, he’s strong, he’s durable, he’s off rhythm and he’s got a different type of fighting style that can beat anybody on any given day. You have to be prepared for anything from him come fight night.”
The 30-year-old Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs) will make his welterweight debut against Australia’s Horn. The Omaha, Nebraska, native has studied Horn closely and is somewhat surprised Horn has been almost completely dismissed approaching their 12-round, 147-pound championship match at MGM Grand Garden Arena (ESPN+).
“A lot of people don’t look at the real details,” Crawford said. “They don’t see his feints, his angles, his punch selection. Things like that, those are the things that I look at, the things that he does that are different, that are unorthodox and can frustrate a fighter.”
Crawford also expects Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs) to try to impose his physicality upon him as soon as their fight starts.
“I’m prepared for that,” Crawford said. “I feel like he’s gonna come in there and try to bully me, and use his strength. And that’s something that we’re gonna be up for. He fights to win. I love a person to fight to win, because I’m coming in there to fight to win and that’s gonna make for an exciting fight.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.