WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs) is a huge underdog in the upcoming showdown with mandatory challenger Terence Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs).
The contest takes place on June 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Horn believes he was retained as the "opponent" for the July 2017 clash with Manny Pacquiao - but the 2012 Australian Olympian upset the odds by winning a twelve round unanimous decision in Brisbane.
Now Horn feels like he's back to being the "opponent' - as he's matched against another big name under the Top Rank promotional banner.
Horn feels like he's being used as a "pawn" by Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, who wants Crawford to become one of the next superstars of the sport.
"It does feel like that, a little bit. I feel like I am a pawn, sometimes, in this game. I feel like they sense they almost have a checkmate but I see it coming," Horn said to the Sydney Morning Herald.
"I know it’s Terence Crawford they’ve put me up against. So be it. If I need to beat him, I will. If that’s [Bob Arum's] plan, to have Crawford win, I’d get some satisfaction. I love winning anyway.
"I just believe in myself. I believe I can beat him. I think he’s a bit hyped up. He’s a good fighter but nobody believes in what I can do. They watch me and think ‘ahhhh... he looks average’. I know in myself I can adjust to different people in the ring."
When he beat Pacquiao, he has a massive crowd of 51,000 cheering him on at the Suncorp Stadium - but he might be viewed as the villain when he enters the ring at the MGM Grand.
"I haven’t really prepared for that. I could get booed. It won’t bother me. There could be a bit of hostility in the crowd, especially after the Pacquiao fight," Horn said.
"I’m going to go in and fight the same. It could spur me on to fight even harder."
