Jeff Horn is unlike anyone Terence Crawford has faced before and will give the unbeaten American the toughest fight of his career.
That's the view of Australian trainer Noel Thornberry, who feels Horn is being sold short yet again by those who think his fairytale run as WBO welterweight champion will be cut short by Crawford.
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum may well be one of those, having set up Horn for a blockbuster clash with Crawford in March, most likely in the United States - assuming the local hero gets past England's Gary Corcoran in his first title defence in Brisbane on December 13.
Recognised as one of the world's best pound-for-pound boxers, Crawford cleaned out the junior welterweight division by unifying the four major belts and is stepping up to the 147-pound welterweight limit.
The 30-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska was last week installed by the WBO as Horn's mandatory challenger, and Arum is already thinking of big-name welterweight opponents for Crawford in the expectation he will take his title.
Thornberry, who trains former heavyweight contender Alex Leapai, reckons that's a false assumption.
"I believe people are underestimating Jeff Horn's ability. I think that he can beat Terence Crawford the same as he beat Manny Pacquiao," Thornberry told AAP.
"Everyone looked at me funny when I said he'd beat Manny Pacquiao.
"Everyone thought I was stupid - particularly boxing people. But he did it. It's history now.
"It'll be a hard fight and Crawford's younger, he punches hard. But he hasn't fought anyone as big as Jeff Horn.
"I think he'll give Crawford the hardest fight of his career and stop him maybe late in the rounds."
Crawford will join Arum, his promoter, in the audience at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre for the Corcoran fight.
But there's no chance Horn's focus will be on anything other than his next task, having watched Pacquiao's camp arrogantly talk up their hopes of a rematch with Floyd Mayweather before delivering them a rude shock at Suncorp Stadium in July.
"I've got to take care of Gary first," Horn told reporters on Friday.
"He's told me he's going to take this belt from me so that's got to be my focus.
"Then I'll see who's the number one contender I have to take on next year.
"(But) I think everyone should learn not to underestimate me.
"I train so hard for these fights and no-one's going to take this belt away from me cheaply."
