Horn is scared out of his mind: Bradley

Former welterweight world champion Timothy Bradley Jr reckons Jeff Horn would be "scared out of his mind" two days out from the 'Battle of Brisbane'.

Manny Pacquiao in action against Timothy Bradley

Boxer Timothy Bradley Jr (left) says facing Manny Pacquiao has Jeff Horn "scared out of his mind". (AAP)

One of the few men to defeat Manny Pacquiao says Jeff Horn would be "scared out of his mind" as the biggest fight of the Australian's life draws ever closer.

But Timothy Bradley Jr, who ended Pacquiao's run of 15 straight wins with a controversial split decision victory in 2012, believes Horn has a genuine chance-- provided he can overcome his nerves and put his powerful right hand to work.

A hometown crowd of 50,000 awaits on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium for Horn, who Bradley said had been handed a "lottery ticket" with his shot against Pacquiao, an 11-time world champion who has won belts in eight different divisions.

Horn is just 17 fights into his professional career and has never faced a top-level opponent like Pacquiao.

"I know how he feels right now, he's scared out of his mind. He is out of his element," said Bradley, a four-time world champion from California.

"Jeff (is) young, not a whole lot of experience, in the fight of his life, 50,000 people, there's a lot of pressure riding on him.

"But if he can put all of that aside, go in there and fight his gameplan... don't be reckless, and don't be dumb. Be smart.

"(If he can do that) he has a good chance of winning the fight. He has to hurt Manny Pacquiao with that big right hand he has."

Bradley, 33, has faced Pacquiao three times and lost twice -- most recently in April last year when he was defeated in their bout for the vacant WBO welterweight title, which the Filipino great will put on the line on Sunday against Horn.

Both men have flicked the switch into fight mode as they prepare for Saturday morning's weigh-in, where they must come under the welterweight limit of 66.68kg.

Horn said he was delighted to have tipped the scales at 69.9kg on Friday morning.

He could boast as much as a 7kg weight advantage over Pacquiao on the day.

"It just shows I've done the work. I've lost 2kg of fat and maintained my muscle through this preparation," he said.

They both made appearances at a VIP luncheon event on Friday, attended by an array of boxing luminaries including Roberto Duran, Timothy Bradley, Joseph Parker, famed ring announcer Michael Buffer and promoter Bob Arum.

Pacquiao's entourage dropped by for only a few minutes.


Share

3 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world