The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Welterweight World Champion, Jeff Horn of Australia, will defend his title against number one contender and arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Terence Crawford, next month at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on June 9th.
But what will be next for the Aussie champ after the fight? What if he wins? What if he loses?
Though many say that Horn will lose to Crawford, I think he’ll win by a late stoppage – so here is a look at the possible outcomes for Horn should he triumph in victory or sour in defeat.
If he wins:
A Horn victory will certainly grab the world’s attention as it did when he defeated Manny Pacquiao last year, but this will cement his place as a real fighter. Many options will be in the cards, and a unification bout with one of the other champs is the way to go.
Errol Spence Jr. – Current IBF champion
Spence Jr. does have a fight coming up just a week after Horn’s fight but if victorious, a unification fight between the two could be in the works.
To add the IBF crown to Horn’s WBO belt would be a stairway to being one of the greatest boxers Australia has seen for a generation and lead to bigger and more expensive fights for the Australian.
Keith Thurman – Current WBA (Super) champion
Despite Thurman just recently relinquishing the WBC title due to injury, he still stands as the WBA (Super) champion.
Although it is expected that Thurman will fight the winner of the Porter versus García match (for the vacant WBC belt) in his return bout, there is a possibility that Horn’s victory over Crawford might interest the current WBA champ a little more.
Manny Pacquiao rematch
Pacquiao returns to the ring on July 15th to face Lucas Matthysse for the vacant WBA (Regular) Welterweight title. If Manny can win, which many predict he will despite his year of inactivity, then a rematch with Horn will certainly have to be considered.
Looking at Pacquiao’s career, there are only two men that he has not beaten while being a world champion – Floyd Mayweather and Jeff Horn. A Horn vs Pacquiao unification rematch bout would be a huge draw for boxing.
Of course, there is the possibility that Horn will just take an easy title defence after Crawford against one of the top ten contenders in the WBO welterweight rankings. But with such as huge scalp in Crawford, it would be pointless to do so.
(AAP Image/Dan Peled)
If he loses:
Fight Anthony Mundine
If he loses, it’s certainly not the end of his career. He just turned 30 and is in the prime of his life (wish I was 30 again).
We all know that fellow Aussie outspoken boxer Anthony Mundine (who ironically enough has young Tim Tszyu after him) has challenged Horn to a bout, preparing to put up two million dollars as a payday.
Horn’s camps took the offer under serious consideration. However, with the mandatory defence of Crawford and being paid more than twice the money to fight Crawford, Mundine has to play the waiting game.
This would be any easy rebound fight for Horn as he would most likely step up to either 157 or 160 pounds (middleweight) to fight Mundine. At 42 years old, Mundine can no longer get down to 154 for health reasons.
It would also be a good opportunity for Horn to abandon the 147-pound welterweight division as he has to cut too much weight before a fight.
Move up in weight class
It’s well known that Horn has to lose up to 20 pounds to make the weight at 147 pounds – and last fight, he came in at 16 grams under the weight limit.
At 30 years old, he can no longer keep this up safely. He would probably be better off going to the 154-pound (super-welterweight) division.
Jaime Munguia is the new WBO Super-welterweight champ, as he has just won the title over the weekend, defeating Sadam Ali and will be looking for his first defence in the coming months.
This could work out perfectly for Horn. The rules of the WBO state a champion that moves up from a division to another can automatically obtain a title shot at the current champ.
The new 154-pound king could have Horn as his first title defence. If this happens and he wins, the Aussie could be the next duel division champ that his country has. It is certainly a bit of a long shot, but a possibility.
So the options will be open for Horn win or lose – so let’s bring on June 9th.
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