Jeff Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan has ruled out any fight with Anthony Mundine in the short term, saying it would be a clear “step backwards”.
Lonergan said Horn’s immediate focus was his mandatory WBO welterweight championship defence against Terence Crawford, which now looks likely to be staged on April 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Mundine, 42, called out Horn immediately after his second-round knockout win over Tommy Browne in Sydney on Wednesday night having claimed the former schoolteacher’s meteoric rise was down to the fact he was a “white boy”.
Horn would earn around $2 million against Mundine but Lonergan said he would rake in “significantly more” against unbeaten American Crawford, who is widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers on the planet.
Crawford, a former unified super lightweight champion who is coming up a division, is heavily favoured to win but Horn would instantly propel himself to global stardom if he managed an upset.
“Realistically, right now, this is Jeff’s chance at global glory,” Duco Events boss Lonergan told reporters on Friday.
“To take on Anthony Mundine at this point in his career would be a major step backwards.
“Mundine has put a lot of money on the table and he had a good result the other night, albeit against a journeyman.
“In the world of boxing, who knows? You never say never, but right now we are chasing things that are much, much bigger than any Australian boxer has ever achieved.
“I think (Mundine) has to go on the backburner and we’ll worry about that if it comes up at a later date.”
Horn-Crawford had originally been slated for April 21 in Las Vegas.
However, the unexpected success of NHL expansion franchise Vegas Golden Knights in their first season prompted the venue change, with the T-Mobile Arena potentially needed for play-off hockey on that day.
The fight would be beamed from New York City to Australian audiences on the afternoon of Sunday, April 15 – hours before the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.
Lonergan hopes to have contracts signed within a fortnight.
“My preference was going a week later on April 21, simply because of the Commonwealth Games and trying to get some clear air,” Lonergan said.
The winner of Horn-Crawford is likely to face Manny Pacquiao, who is in talks to fight on the undercard at Madison Square Garden.
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