FENECH IN HORN’S CORNER: BUT EX-CHAMP FEARS VEGAS DEJA VU

AUSTRALIA’S most successful fighter Jeff Fenech has appealed for the judges of Sunday’s Jeff Horn-Terence Crawford fight to give the Aussie hero “a fair shake’’ after Horn called himself a “pawn’’ in a game of boxing politics.

It’s no secret that fight promoter Bob Arum — the most powerful man in world boxing for 50 years — wants Crawford to beat Horn as he has the American tied to a long-term deal while Horn becomes a free agent after the bout at the MGM Grand Casino

Horn had to sign a three- fight deal with Arum to secure his world title-winning fight with Manny Pacquiao.

To be given a title shot against the 11-time world champ in Brisbane, Horn had to sign options allowing Arum to promote his first two title defences if he won. The first defence was against English- man Gary Corcoran in December. The second and last comes against Crawford on Sunday.

Fenech, who was denied a fourth world championship in a controversial Vegas decision against Azumah Nelson in 1991, said he hoped the judges remembered that there was just “a blue corner and a red corner’’ rather than an “American against an Australian’’.

“Jeff Horn can win the fight, one billion per cent, so long as he gets a fair shake,’’ Fenech said. “I would hate to see another situation like FenechNelson in Vegas. That was heartbreaking.’’