HOW HORN WILL BEAT ONE OF THE GREATEST
Horn’s 10-point plan to Paq a mighty punch
JEFF Horn’s trainer says there is “an 80 per cent’’ chance Brisbane’s Fighting schoolteacher will stop Manny Pacquiao by a late-round stoppage after a gruelling Suncorp Stadium battle.
Horn was surrounded by media from Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and the United States yesterday as he revved up his engine in readiness for a roaring victory in Australia’s biggest fight.
Glenn Rushton, 59, a martial arts guru who is now Australia’s leading trainer, said he had used a combination of “psychology and science’’ to temper Horn into ‘‘a fierce competitor’’ who had a ‘‘mind like a samurai warrior’’.
“He is as strong as an ox and he believes in himself,’’ Rushton said.
“Manny will not be any fitter than Jeff and the whole outcome of the fight now depends on execution on the day.
“We’ve had a 10-week campaign for this fight, all finely tuned, and we haven’t missed a beat in preparation.
“I’ve analysed thousands of hours of footage of Manny and I’ve studied the mistakes others have made fighting him and how Manny has handled different styles.
“I’ve seen the traps other fighters have fallen into against him – the likes of Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya and Jessie Vargas.’’
While Horn went through a light workout yesterday, he said all the hard work for the fight was now done and he would concentrate on tapering his preparation so he was ready to explode at fight time.
Horn said he had been reading and rereading Rushton’s 10-point plan for victory.
One of Rushton’s major points is to move away from Pacquiao’s devastating left hand.
“Manny’s strongest weapon is his straight left but if you focus on that, you’re going to get knocked out with a right hook or a left uppercut,’’ Rushton said.
“We know his strengths but we’re not focused on one thing.’’
Horn said the prospect of fighting before more than 50,000 people at the stadium and a worldwide television audience approaching a billion people didn’t frighten him.