Horn’s hands of steel

JEFF Horn has been practising hand strengthening drills to make his fists as hard as house bricks as he prepares to throw them at American challenger Terence Crawford in Las Vegas on Sunday.

“The Hornet’’ plans to swarm all over Crawford from the opening bell and, using martial arts techniques perfected by coach Glenn Rushton, is ready to deliver the hardest punches Crawford has ever encountered.

Crawford yesterday confirmed he would fight in the controversial horsehair boxing gloves that have little padding, with Horn declaring the decision made it a “much more dangerous fight’’.

Horn said a fighter needed rock solid hands to use the gloves because the lack of padding was damaging to fists as well as flesh and that his hand strengthening exercises would give him a decided edge for the fight.

Brisbane’s world champ has also spent the past 16 weeks concentrating on explosive plyometric exercises to ensure his foot speed has gone to a new level.

In his last major training session yesterday, Horn again showed some of the secret, slick moves he has developed to frustrate and trap Crawford.

His major backer Phil Murphy, the biggest private owner of the Brisbane Broncos, said Horn looked dynamic — “like Winx getting ready for a fourth Cox Plate’’.

After badly damaging both fists in fights in New Zealand in 2014, against Brazilians Fernando Ferreira da Silva and Robson Assis, Horn began a martial arts program designed to strengthen his hands against future damage.

Rushton, a karate champion, started him on dozens of push-ups on his knuckles and hitting hard surfaces hundreds of times to build bone density.

Rushton is a big believer in Wolff’s law — that bones grow stronger under heavy loads — and he says Horn’s heavy fists, with just the thin horsehair padding over the knuckles, will be dynamite on Sunday.

Yesterday Horn said the horsehair gloves “change the dynamic of the fight’’. “They make it more dangerous,’’ he said. “There could be a cut straight away in the fight if one of us lands a clean shot or there could be a knockout.

“That’s what I’m going for — the KO. The quicker the better. I would love to take him out in Round 1.

“That would really shock the world.’’

Crawford expects Horn to use headbutts and elbows and his trainer Brian McIntyre says he will be asking referee Robert Byrd to keep a close eye on the world champ’s tactics.

Horn is unbeaten in 19 fights and Crawford is 32-0.