Jeff Horn has anointed Terence Crawford the king of the welterweights and believes the undefeated American would have the measure of Manny Pacquiao if they fought.
The 32-year-old Australian famously wrested the WBO welterweight championship from Pacquiao in Brisbane in 2017 only to lose the belt to Crawford by ninth-round stoppage two fights later in Las Vegas the following year.
Horn sees Crawford’s ring IQ giving him the edge over Pacquiao frenetic attacks.
“Pacquiao is intense but Crawford’s a smart dude. If Pacquiao was to rush at him like he would probably do to me, Crawford could possibly outbox him,” Horn told Fight Hub TV.
“It’s a very interesting fight because styles do make fights and Crawford knows he is going to come at him, he is going to be in with boxing skills but it’s a hard one to answer.
“I think Crawford is probably the best in the welterweight division at the moment.”
Horn insists his pick in the mythical matchup has nothing to do with the fact that Crawford defeated him.
“It’s hard for people to listen and believe because I fought him and got beaten by him, so they might say he’s just saying that because he lost,” he said.
“He is a very talented fighter and boxer and he’s smart in there as well. He is not a dumb fighter; he knows what to do and that’s what makes him a great fighter.”
Horn is deep in training for a clash against the undefeated Tim Tszyu at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville, Australia on August 26.
It will be Horn’s first fight since his revenge win over Michael Zerafa in December following his shock loss to the Melburnian in August.
