Jeff Horn holds tough test in Terence Crawford clash


Jeff Horn holds tough test in Terence Crawford clash


Jeff Horn has an almighty task on his hands in his next professional outing, as the reigning WBO welterweight champion defends his crown against the dangerous and highly talented Terence Crawford.

Crawford is currently regarded as one of the top three best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, alongside Ukrainian maestro Vasyl Lomachenko and middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin, as he now next prepares to become a three-weight world champion.

'Bud' has already reigned supreme at both lightweight and light-welterweight in his illustrious career to date, with the American having also achieved a slice of history last year before opting to move up divisions in search of further silverware success.

The Nebraska native halted Julius Indongo inside three lop-sided rounds to become the undisputed champion at 140lbs. This feat saw him become the first fighter to become undisputed champion since Jermain Taylor back in 2005, proving how hard it is to rally to all the belts in the current climate.

boxing ring by leyla.a (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Next up he jumps up to 147lbs in order to challenge Australian ace Jeff Horn, who has risen to prominence himself in recent years. The Brisbane-born fighter secured a historic achievement back in July of last year when he dethroned Filipino legend and eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao.

At the Suncorp Stadium on Australian territory, the former school teacher rallied his way to a somewhat controversial unanimous decision triumph over 'Pacman'. Many believed the result to be somewhat of a robbery in favour of the home fighter, but Horn certainly put it to Pacquiao during the course of 12 bloody and exciting rounds on home soil.

 

 

 

 

The now 30-year-old, known as 'the Hornet', then went on to successfully defend his WBO crown with an 11th-round stoppage success over maiden challenger Gary Corcoran, who arrived from London with the intentions of becoming world champion.

But Horn proved to be too strong, as he enjoyed a late finish to proceedings, and he has since been paired up with Crawford for what is set to be another intriguing and highly interesting affair at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

On American turf, Crawford will enter as the massive 5/1 outsider in the latest boxing odds from bet365 to come out on top and successfully retain his WBO belt for a second time since dethroning Pacquiao in Australia.

The fighter from down under faces a very testing outing, though, with 'Bud' having showcased immense form in recent outings. His destruction of Indongo followed up other impressive displays against top contenders and challengers.

Crawford had previously stopped Felix Diaz and John Molina Jr, while he inflicted a lot of damage on Ukrainian Victor Postol during their entertaining match-up back in July 2016, in which the American came out with his hand raised highest with a unanimous decision victory.

Next up in Sin City is the clash between Horn and Crawford, with both men hoping to enjoy success at the famous MGM Grand and continue their respective admirable career surges.