Corcoran wants to panic Horn
BOXING: Jeff Horn has suffered all his life from the anxiety condition of claustrophobia and Gary Corcoran promises to be his worst nightmare in their world title fight on Wednesday night.
Corcoran, a man with nothing to lose and with no restraints, presents a huge danger for Horn in their WBO welterweight title fight at the Brisbane Convention Centre.
Horn has an overwhelming fear of being constrained in tight places and Corcoran has promised to suffocate him for 12 rounds in wild close-quarters combat.
Corcoran, 27, thrives in a tough and dangerous world.
He was suspended from school 19 times for kicking, punching and headbutting and says he can’t wait to take revenge on the Fighting Schoolteacher.
For Horn, the fear of the dark unknown has gripped him all his life.
“For some reason at an early age I developed claustrophobia, which still plagues me,” Horn says.
“If you combine darkness with a narrow space I can go to pieces.
“On chilly nights when I was a kid, my dad would wrap my brother Ben and me in blankets and I would freak out. I hated being tightly constrained and I still do. Being trapped in a small, dark place is a fear that haunts my worst nightmares.
“I have a constant dread of getting stuck in an elevator and not being able to see where I am. Even on kids’ rides in tight, dark places I can feel myself starting to get panicky.”
Corcoran is banking on Horn getting panicky as he is assailed from all angles and confined in the small space where he plans to trap him inside the boxing ring.
The gypsy wild man is still “a bit of a lunatic” in his fighting style, wild and erratic, with constant pressure, constant aggression and a constant stream of punches.
He has accused Horn of headbutting and his line about being willing to bite in retaliation was only half in jest.
“I’ve been fighting my whole life,” Corcoran says. “Jeff has never fought anyone like me.
“I’m bigger, younger, fresher and I’ve fought bigger people than he has.”