Just days away from fighting Jeff Horn for the WBO welterweight title in his welterweight debut, Terence Crawford has seen this situation in the past.
No stranger to fighting bigger opponents and big fights so soon after moving up weight classes, Crawford told Fightful during a conference call he doesn’t feel the pressure of his upcoming fight against Horn. Regarding his career change from undisputed junior welterweight champion to welterweight title challenger, Crawford said he doesn’t see a difference from when he made the jump from lightweight world champion to junior welterweight title challenger in 2015.
In terms of fighting Horn on June 9, a bigger man than Crawford, the two-division champion said he’s used to fighting boxers that are higher in stature and this fight against the 5’9” Horn is nothing new to him.
“Not at all. I feel like I am in the same boat right now as when I was coming up in weight. Thomas Dulorme, he was a 147-pounder, and he came down in weight to fight me for the [WBO junior welterweight] title [in 2015] and everyone was saying he was this big, strong puncher, saying that I was too small in the weight class. I was up for it and I prevailed so I’m in the same predicament as I was moving up from 135 to 140,” Crawford said.
Crawford’s long-awaited welterweight debut was actually supposed to happen on April 14, but a hand injury delayed that fight. With such a major fight being delayed by an injury, one wouldn’t be faulted for feeling frustrated, but the Omaha, Nebraska native said he didn’t feel that way at all.
“Actually, I wasn’t frustrated. I just had the injury and my thinking was that I’m going to go out there 100 percent healthy. I’m not going out there with one hand and handicap myself,” Crawford said.
As far as having to follow up on his impressive knockout win over Julius Indongo in his last fight to become the undisputed junior welterweight champion back in August, Crawford remained cool, calm and collected and simply said he just needs to go out there and do his job.
“I just need to get the victory. I just got to go out there, be focused and not be overconfident. I just got to do what I do to get the job done,” Crawford said.
Crawford's fight against Horn will headline a Top Rank Boxing card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and be streamed to fans in the United States on the ESPN+ streaming service.
