THE UNLIKELY LAD
Just when you thought the world of boxing couldn’t get any odder, Horn and Corocoran are set for world title warfare, writes Declan Taylor
Gary Corcoran prepares for his surprise world title shot against Jeff Horn
IT IS one of boxing’s strange idiosyncrasies that, sometimes, world title fights can appear totally and utterly out of left field. One only has to look back to July when a former school teacher from Australia with a modest 16-0-1 record was handed the chance to fight all-timegreat Manny Pacquiao for the Filipino icon’s WBO welterweight title.
And on that sun-drenched Brisbane afternoon, the unheralded Jeff Horn claimed a debatable points decision to score, on paper at least, one of the biggest boxing upsets of the generation.
All three judges gave Horn the nod on the day, with Waleska Roldan even scoring the home fighter a wide 117- 111 victor. But, so controversial was the decision deemed, the WBO even agreed to rescore the bout using five independent judges who watched the fight back with the sound off.
Although one gave Pacquiao the nod and a second saw it a draw, the remaining three judges scored the fight in favour of Horn, who expected to face the eight-division champion in an immediate rematch regardless.
However, Senator Pacquiao is a busy man these days and it was decided in September that his government commitments would preclude him from boxing again in 2017. That decision left Horn without a dance partner.
Fantasy fights against the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jnr and 0-1 Conor Mcgregor were briefly mooted while talks regarding a unification with IBF champion Errol Spence Jnr never really got off the ground. The next name mentioned was 27-1 Bradley Skeete, described by Brisbane tabloid the Courier Mail as a “formidable but little-known pom”. However, the 30-year-old former WBO European champion was disrespectfully ruled out by Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan due to being, in his opinion, “the most boring fighter on the planet”. But they stuck with Frank Warren’s stable to finally select the opponent for December 13, and if they were intent on finding someone who would bring entertainment, they have come up trumps with Gary Corcoran. The 27-year-old made his debut back in November 2011 but has only boxed
a further 17 times in the six years since. The sole defeat on his record came at the hands of Liam Williams, who stopped him in the 11th round of their British lightmiddleweight title fight in July of last year.
But he is a highly capable pressure fighter, more at home at 147lbs, who beat slick Larry Ekundayo on points in his last outing to claim the vacant WBO Intercontinental belt at the Copper Box Arena. Such trinkets are often denigrated but it is without question that it helped Corcoran’s ranking and therefore his chances of landing a shot at Horn in Brisbane.
Even so, news that Corcoran would be fighting for a genuine world title in only his 19th fight was still a surprise, but he and his team will not see this as a holiday. Promoter Frank Warren put it best when asked about his fighter’s chances Down Under.
“If I had made Gary against Jeff Horn this time last year everyone would have said ‘that’s a good Commonwealth title fight’,” Warren said. “And Corcoran would have probably been a big favourite.
“He’s a lovely guy who has never turned down anybody. He has got a true fighting heart and he’s got a real chance out there.”
Warren also likened the situation to that of another Brit who was handed a shock chance to win the world title 24 years ago.
Back in 1993, when a failed HIV test meant that Ruben Palacious was stripped of his WBO featherweight crown, Steve Robinson was selected to face John Davison for the belt on just two days’ notice. Robinson, 13-9-1 at the time, secured the title with a split decision victory.
“It reminds me a bit of Steve Robinson,” Warren said. “That was a real Cinderella story too.
“This is Corcoran’s chance. He wins this and he’s right up there with a belt and can make some serious money.”
However, Horn too knows that victory here will set up money-spinning bouts in 2018. A Las Vegas showdown with Terence Crawford, the brilliant 147lb new boy, is already being touted for April.
“I’m not looking ahead of this, but Horn is,” Corcoran told Box Nation, who are showing the fight in the UK.
“He’s talking about more fights. I’m just
looking to beat him up and then see what happens after.
“He beat Pacquiao when he was at the end of his career. He’s there to be beat. I was looking at him a few weeks ago and he’s very beatable for a world title.”
The danger, of course, is that one would assume that anything remotely close will go the way of the home fighter, as it did at the Suncorp Stadium in the summer.
However, Corcoran will not have to go looking for Horn when they meet at Brisbane’s Convention & Exhibition centre given the Australian’s faceforward style.
Indeed, the pair offer all the ingredients needed for a truly memorable tear-up in which both men are likely to mark-up and bleed.
Corcoran, however, will have to make it a very clear victory if he leaves it to the judges or produce only the eighth stoppage of his career to date. The smart money would be on Horn to secure a decision on the cards after coming through some testing moments.
Undercard highlights include former Wladimir Klitschko victim Alex Leapai 31-7-3 (25) and 24-0 (16) rising star Paul Fleming.
THE VERDICT Corcoran is a live underdog in shock world title shot.
‘I’M JUST LOOKING TO BEAT HIM UP AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS’