WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs), and his trainer Glenn Rushton, have promised to send a strong message to Terence Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs) on December 13th at the Brisbane Convention Centre.
On that night, Horn will make a voluntary defense of his world title against big underdog Gary Corcoran of the UK.
The bout will be the first for Horn since capturing the belt in July with a stunning twelve round unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao before a crowd of over 51,000 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Crawford was recently named as the mandatory challenger to Horn's world title by the World Boxing Organization.
The undefeated former junior welterweight champion will be ringside for the Horn vs. Corcoran encounter.
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, who promotes Crawford and has options on Horn, plans to match them in the first quarter of 2018.
Crawford, who captured the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO world titles at 140-pounds, is considered by many to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and most experts view him as a huge favorite to beat Horn.
“I want Jeff to be brutally effective on December 13 and to show Terence Crawford sitting there at ringside that Jeff is bigger, stronger and a better puncher than him,’’ said Horn's coach Rushton to Courier Mail.
“Corcoran is a strong, aggressive English guy and this will be the Battle of the Smashers, not the Ashes. Corcoran has flaws in his footwork and openings and if he decides to go toe-to-toe with Jeff, he’s going to get smashed. Jeff will outbox him and hit him from all kinds of angles. I reckon Jeff can stop him in eight, but if he gets the chance earlier he’s going all out for the KO to show the world that he’s a big finisher.
“We want to show Terence Crawford just what’s waiting for him next year. The Americans are very confident that they have Jeff’s measure but we will shake up that confidence on December 13."
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