Jeff Horn Vs Terence Crawford Coming to a Ring On April 21, 2018
By Joshua “City” Brewer
It’s official! Australia’s own Jeff “The Hornet” Horn, 18-0-1, 12 KO’s, will put his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title on the line in a bout against perennial number one pound for pound fighter Terence “Bud” Crawford, 32-0, 23 KO’s. The fight will take place on April 21, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but whatever happens on this night is sure to spill over into the rest of the welterweight division. This will be Crawford’s first fight at welterweight since moving up after unifying the 140 pound division with a ferocious body shot to take out Julius Imdongo in 2017.
Horn picked up his belt in 2017 when he beat Manny Pacquiao via controversial decision. Since that time, Horn hasn’t been shy to speak his opinion and has practically welcomed every challenger with a name. He successfully defended his title for the first time with a technical knockout win over Gary Corcoran in Australia this past November. It’s safe to say that since bursting into the world scene Horn’s trajectory has gradually moved upward.
This fight, though, will be the toughest of his life. Manny Pacquiao is essentially at the tail end of his career and fighting for the money at this point. Crawford on the other hand is an entirely different animal. Crawford is in his physical prime and has not just finished in fights, but outclassed his opponents to the highest degree. Will Horn put on the performance of his life? That’s the question.
As far as measurements, they’re very close in size and length. Horn may be the naturally bigger fighter, but Crawford himself was a big lightweight and junior welterweight, so 147 has the potential to be his most optimal weight. General consensus is going to favor Crawford for the win, but how? If Horn has shown us one thing during his short time in the spotlight, it’s that he has heart and is tough. In his fight with Pacquiao he was all but out and somehow rallied to not not only stay in the fight, but win.
The intrigue is high for this fight. It may be more of an exaggeration to say a fighter is flawless, but if there is a fighter in the game who most aligns with that term then it’s Crawford. He’s already made his intentions clear with his move to 147 pounds. This is his first test. There are many other great fighters in the division. Regardless of a win or loss for either fighter, the time is now. There is no question that the other stars at welterweight will be closely watching. And with that, a toast to boxing in 2018.
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