HORN TO FIGHT CRAWFORD AND WILL SHOW HE HAS A PLACE AMONG TOP WELTERWEIGHTS OF THE WORLD
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 16 Dec 2017
Undefeated two-division world champion Terence "Bud" Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs), will move from the junior welterweight up to the welterweight division. Crawford, the 2014 Fighter of the Year, became boxing's first undisputed world champion in 15 years when he knocked out then WBA world junior welterweight champion Julius Indongo.
* * *
Crawford, who has been ordered as the mandatory challenger to World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world champion Jeff "The Hornet" Horn, and is ready to challenge for the 147-pound title. Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs) successfully defended his title stopping No. 10 contender Gary Corcoran (17-2, 7 KOs). The two undefeated world champions will clash in the spring of 2018.
* * *
Jeff Horn will be fighting in Las Vegas next year against the undefeated Terence Crawford on April to show to the Americans and the rest of the world that he has a place among the top welterweights of the planet after the successful initial defense of his WBO welterweight title. Horn came out victorious by an 11th-round stoppage over Gary Corcoran and retain the belt he won from Manny Pacquiao last July.
* * *
"There's always going to be the doubters. All I've got to do is keep winning. Hopefully we can change people's minds one by one. I think Terence Crawford is someone I can beat," said Horn. Corcoran had 10 stitches to repair the wounds inflicted by the Aussie former schoolteacher. "The better man won on the night," Corcoran said.
* * *
The scorecards did not matter anymore for the result but they showed Horn's superiority. Judge Lisa Giampa didn't reward Corcoran a single round, while Levi Martinez gave him only the second round and Lou Mouret the sixth canto. All three judges were Americans. "I only thought he won one round myself. Jeff was clearly outboxing him," Horn's trainer Glenn Rushton said.
* * *
The referee halted the fight due to Corcoran's bleeding caused by a deep cut above his left eye. The early rounds were close with Corcoran continually walking forward, but Horn connected more blows to lead in the scoring and rallied with more punches in the seventh round onward.
* * *
Amir Khan watched at the ringside for Horn's first title defense against Corcoran. Khan clearly was not impressed with what he observed. "Watching the Horn vs. Corcoran fight live, Now I know why Manny Pacquiao picked Horn to fight and not me and he still lost," Khan said. Khan is planning to make a comeback early next year, and he says Horn is at the top of his priority opponents.
* * *
"The welterweight division is definitely a good division for me. I'm more comfortable there, I've been champion in that division, so I want to definitely win a world title in this division again. Horn will definitely be on my radar. He's a great champion and he might be a fight that I take in the future," Khan said.
* * *
?He can be a major mainstream star in the US," Bob Arum said of Horn. ?Boxing has been crying out for a kid like this for so long. He?s a great fighter, a good-looking, clean-cut schoolteacher married to his high school sweetheart. A lot of people in boxing don?t necessarily speak well or politely but butter wouldn?t melt in this kid?s mouth. He?s a great role model for young fighters.?
* * *
"After 21 years of prize fighting, the wars had taken their toll," Orlando Salido said as quoted by ESPN after the former four-time, two-division world champion was knocked out in the ninth round by fellow Mexican countryman Miguel "Mickey" Roman in their junior lightweight bout. "I am just an old fighter now," the 37-year-old Salido said quite sincerely. That was Saturday. On Wednesday, he ended one of the shortest retirements in boxing in which fighters retire then come back.
* * *
"On Saturday night I let my emotions and my frustration get the best of me," Salido said from his home in Phoenix. "It was a tough fight, and I was not able to do some of the things I've always been able to do in the ring that I attributed to my age and wear and tear on my body from so many wars. He added that after coming home and reviewing his camp and the fight, he realized that his weight issues were also part of the problem on Saturday night. "I came into camp at the highest weight ever, and our focus became the weight and the boxing became secondary during training camp."
* * *
"I felt that I left my fight at the scale," Salido said. "No excuse, but one fight in 18 months did not help me stay in shape, and getting to the weight was the biggest concern for my fight, and while I am happy with the fight that I gave the fans, I truly believe that I can do better, so I am keeping my options open to returning in 2018 at 130 or 135 pounds." He further stared that after the fight he was in the heat of the moment, that he declared his retirement. But later, upon reflection, he realized they are not the correct things to say. "I want to get back into the ring to give my fans some more thrills as I believe I still have some good boxing left."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Verano to face Thai in Clash of Nations on April 24
By Lito delos Reyes, Mon, 21 Apr 2025Masangkay to fight Ocampo in JAS on April 23
By Lito delos Reyes, Sun, 20 Apr 2025Denver Holds Off LA Clippers in OT, 112-110
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Sun, 20 Apr 2025Arca clinches 3rd and final IM norm; Guns for GM norm in last round
By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 20 Apr 2025IN HER GOLDEN GIRL ERA: GABRIELA “SWEET POISON” FUNDORA SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDS UNDISPUTED TITLE AGAINST MARILYN BADILLO
Sun, 20 Apr 2025Fundora Retains Undisputed Flyweight Titles; Perez Shocks Conwell in Oceanside
Sun, 20 Apr 2025Dalton Smith Drops Mathieu German Three Times, Retains WBC Silver Title
Sun, 20 Apr 2025Filipino GM Antonio beats Serbia's IM for share of lead in Caberra Chess Tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 20 Apr 2025Villanueva to fight Antaran on April 27 in Gensan
By Lito delos Reyes, Sun, 20 Apr 2025MASOUD AND MCGRAIL CLASH IN ALL-BRITISH SHOWDOWN
Sun, 20 Apr 2025Semifinals Conclude at 2025 USA Boxing International Open
Sun, 20 Apr 2025FM Arca is inching closer to his 3rd and final IM norm
By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 20 Apr 2025Weigh-In Results: Fundora and Conwell Ready for Golden Boy Fight Night in Oceanside
Sat, 19 Apr 2025Undefeated, rising Canadian prospect Eric Basran wins in Opening round to advance to quarterfinals of inaugural Riyadh Season/WBC Boxing Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia
Sat, 19 Apr 2025WEIGHTS FROM LONG BEACH
Sat, 19 Apr 2025