Crawford vs Horn Odds – Saturday night sees the American debut of WBO world welterweight champion Jeff Horn as he faces the challenge of Terence Crawford. Horn is Australia’s darling as he grabbed the WBO belt in 2017 with a UD victory over legendary Manny Pacquiao.
We are going to find out a lot about Jeff Horn in this one. Facing the “legendary” Pacquiao, many read legendary as “washed up” and Horn had the comfort of fighting at home as well. In this one he is traveling to Las Vegas to face the undefeated all-world Crawford, who is one of the top two fighters in the world today.
The interesting part of all this is that Horn does not seem intimidated at all. He senses he is getting little respect and he has used that as motivation to prepare his mind for the challenge to come. He has played the role of insulted underdog to a “T” so far and should he score the upset he would instantly become a real, international player in one of boxing’s premier weight classes.
Read more about a crowded boxing calendar this weekend as “Tyson Fury Returns Saturday in Manchester,” right here at GMS.
Crawford is a saavy bird in his own right. He is a former world champion at lightweight and super lightweight and this is actually his first fight in the welterweight division. At 30 years old, Crawford had done it all and all that it is left for him in terms of challenges were up at welterweight. Though Crawford’s big fights were envisioned against the likes of Keith Thurman or Errol Spence Jr, he is not looking past Horn in this one.
Crawford has said all the right things, pointing out how big Horn is for the weight class and crediting his in-ring work as unorthodox. Crawford has also progressed to angry at times, as he has done little talking but has promised to “shut up” the boisterous Horn. Crawford has shown a mean streak during his past fights and he does not let fighters off the hook. Crawford will likely respond to dirty boxing with a little grime of his own against Horn and overall it does not seem as if the Australian has put Crawford and camp off his game as of yet.
There are levels in boxing and the common thinking here is that Crawford is a few floors up on the elevator ride above Horn. He does everything in the ring technically better than Horn. The Sweet Science’s boxing expert Frank Lotierzo was asked about Horn using rough house tactics in this one and he responded by asking “what choice does he have?”
We are in fight week and the line is actually shrinking as money has come in on Horn. Now that Horn and Crawford are both in Vegas you can look for Horn to apply the mental pressure at the press conferences, weigh-ins and everywhere the two fighters meet. You might even see this extend itself to the entourages as Horn and company try to work on Crawford’s mind.
ESPN has a must watch fight this Saturday and that “must watch” label may extend itself to all the public functions this week. Get ready for a show.
Crawford vs Horn Odds
Sat 6/9 – MGM Grand – Las Vegas, Nevada – ESPN+
Welterweight 12 rounds
Jeff Horn +525 o9½ +120
Terence Crawford -750 u9½ -140
Crawford vs Horn Odds / Check out more boxing news and features at The Sweet Science.
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