Proving Time – Jeff Horn vs Terence Crawford Preview

On Saturday, June 9th, Terence Crawford (32-0, 23 KO’s) will match up against Jeff Horn (18-0-1, 12 KO’s)  for the World Boxing Organization Welterweight Championship on ESPN Plus. Both fighters come into this bout with something to prove. Most boxing fans were introduced to Horn last June when he won a very controversial decision over Manny Pacquiao in his home country of Australia. Even though most people thought Pacquiao was robbed, they do agree that Horn showed himself to be a really tough competitor who will not go away easily. The Australian did follow up that victory with a technical knock out (TKO) win over Gary Corcoran. Horn will be trying to prove that he belongs among the great champions in the the Welterweight Division like Keith Thurman and Errol Spence Jr.

Crawford dominated the Junior Welterweight Division and unified all four major belts. In his last bout, Crawford destroyed previously undefeated Julius Indongo by knocking him out with a vicious body shot in the third round. Crawford has now moved up to the 147 pound division which may be the most talented weight class in all of boxing. Especially when you consider the aforementioned Thurman and Spence Jr. to go along with Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, and Lamont Peterson among others. Crawford will be trying to prove that he can bang with the big boys and be a true contender in the packed Welterweight Division.

Keys to the Fight for Jeff Horn

1.) Be Big

Horn is the naturally bigger man in this fight as he has spent his whole career in the 147 pound division. The WBO champion doesn’t have the reach advantage in the match up. Therefore he has to get on the inside and push Crawford around, lean on him and use his weight as an additional punch in this fight. This could break Crawford down in the later rounds.

2.) Be Precise 

Horn’s offense should include mostly jabs and straight right hands. Naturally he wants to mix it up with hooks and uppercuts, but those punches should be thrown on the inside and mostly to the body. If Horn gets careless and starts to loop those hooks and uppercuts aiming at Crawford’s head, he will miss and get countered. Crawford has proven to be able to end someone’s night early with a perfectly timed counter punch.

3.) Be Relentless

One of Horn’s best characteristics is his ability to keep going no matter what is going on in the ring. There will be moments when Crawford will just look better than Horn. Horn has to show the will power that has gotten him to this point. Crawford is the more skilled fighter and Horn has to will his way to victory by continuing to come forward, even if that means taking a few good shots to the face.

Keys to the Fight for Terence Crawford

1.) Boxing

Crawford has to make sure this boxing match is just that, a boxing match. Horn will come in reckless and straight forward at times, which can lead to more holding and wrestling than actual boxing. Crawford has to stay free of the holding and keep the fight in the middle of the ring where it’s harder for a fighter like Horn to make this a messy battle.

2.) Patience

This is Crawford’s first fight at the 147 pound limit. The punches that hurt his opponents at lower weight classes may not have the same effect here. Crawford can not get discouraged when and if Horn walks through some of his best punches. Crawford should also be patient in his attack and allow Horn to open himself up for some of those signature Crawford counter punches.

3.) Variety 

Crawford has the rare ability to fight well and bring power from both the orthodox and southpaw stance. He should mix it up in this fight and go to the southpaw stance from time to time to give Horn a different look. This will give him the ability to find different angles for body shots and power punches to the head.

Prediction

Crawford is the more skilled fighter and that skill will be too much for Horn. Crawford will be able to escape the constant pressure of Horn and catch him with lots of spot on counter punches. Horn has a lot of heart and will make Crawford work for this victory. However, he will go down for the count in the ninth round. Crawford wins by knockout.