Horn primed for desert duel
JEFF Horn jetted off to Las Vegas yesterday ready to strike gold in the Nevada desert against his unbeaten American challenger Terence Crawford.
Four generations ago Horn’s German-born ancestor, John Horn, packed his wife and young family on to a covered wagon west of the Blue Mountains in NSW and headed almost 2000km north on a great odyssey to the Queensland outback as part of a convoy of horses and 21 drays.
John Horn settled in Winton in 1885, where many of the Horn family were born, and he was living there when Banjo Paterson wrote Waltzing Matilda at a nearby sheep station.
Jeff Horn travelled with a degree more comfort yesterday, packing his wife Jo and baby daughter Isabelle into the pointy end of a Qantas flight to what he believes will be the fertile ground of a promised land.
Las Vegas has been the great mecca of world boxing for more than 30 years. Waiting for Horn in Vegas will be the most dangerous fight of his career and the most brutal boxing gloves he’s used – the controversial Everlast MX horsehair gloves.
Horn hopes scoring will not be necessary. He has trained hard for four months to end the bout inside the distance.
“I’m planning to put Terence under enormous pressure right from the opening bell,’’ Horn said.