Jeff Horn vs Terence Crawford Preview

Jeff Horn vs Terence Crawford Preview

WBO Welterweight Champion Jeff Horn will attempt the seemingly impossible when he steps into the ring with American superstar Terence Crawford at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Horn has become a household name in Australia since defeating the legendary Manny Pacquaio by unanimous decision in July last year, but he undoubtedly faces his biggest test to date in the form of the 32-0 Crawford – arguably the world’s best pound for pound fighter.

Horn has received plenty of patriotic support in the weeks leading up to this fight but remains a $5.25 outsider to defeat Crawford ($1.17) and retain his world title.

Jeff Horn

The Hornet has enjoyed an impressive rise to prominence in the Australian boxing community since making his professional debut in 2013 but made the biggest step of his career so far when defeating Pacquiao for the world title.

While that result did polarise world boxing, Horn’s subsequent TKO of Britain’s Gary Corcoran in December ultimately confirmed his class and led to the booking of this fight.

The thirty-year-old will carry an impressive undefeated record of his own to Las Vegas; 18-0-1. His record is garnished with twelve wins by knockout and he is a fighter that never seems to be overdone by the pressures of any situation, nor the attention of a huge crowd. Horn has shown time and time again that he does not underestimate his opponents and has reportedly enjoyed a seamless preparation for this potentially career-defining fight.

He has a size and strength edge over Crawford and that will be key to his chances of completing another big upset and ultimately, defending his title.

Terence Crawford

There is simply no denying the class of Terence Crawford: 32 fights for 32 wins, 23 by way of knockout since making his professional debut in 2008.

His most-recent fight was a third-round KO of Namibian Julius Indongo in August and with that victory, he added both the WBA Super Lightweight and IBF Light Welterweight titles to an impressive mantle. That result also saw Crawford become only the second man in the four-belt era to unify the four major organisation titles.

Crawford’s precision is second-to-none, but he’s also made a habit of ending his fights early and four of his seven most-recent bouts have concluded in the eighth round or earlier. He faces a tougher fighter in Jeff Horn and subsequently, he’ll need to call on his technical brilliance if he is to confirm the win.

He has vacated all of his belts to step up in weight and challenge Horn for the Welterweight title and he will be extremely difficult to beat.

Overview & Betting

Crawford will begin this fight as a clear and justifiable favourite, but Horn undoubtedly has the ability and brawn to pull off another major upset.

If the Pacquaio fight proved anything, it’s that Horn is as tough as they come and that he fights out of an extremely well-drilled, hard-working stable that is capable of planning and ultimately implementing the downfall of even the world’s best fighters.

Technically, Crawford is amongst the best fighters in the world and if this bout goes the distance, it’s tough seeing any result other than the American winning on decision materialising. For that reason, Horn needs to use his size and power to his advantage and score either a KO or TKO win over Crawford.

Tip: Crawford to Win by Points Decision is worth consideration at $2.80 while on the other side of the coin, Horn winning by KO, TKO, Technical Decision or Disqualification at $10 could prove over the odds.