Australian WBO welterweight world champion Jeff Horn makes his US debut when he takes on undefeated American Terence Crawford at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada live on the ESPN + APP a live streaming service where fans can watch sporting events and shows.
Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs) made a name for himself when he defeated the ring legend Manny Pacquiao and won the WBO welterweight title on ESPN in 2017, it was a fight that was marred with controversy when ESPN broadcasters Teddy Atlas and Stephen A Smith claimed Horn got a gift decision in a fight they deemed a robbery.
Horn and his trainer Glenn Rushton believe the biased commentary affected the historical moment and left a bitter taste after what was supposed to be a memorable day for the former Aussie school teacher wound up a controversial one with fans on social media leaving him thousands of hateful messages on his Twitter and Facebook social media accounts.
Crawford (32-0-0, 23 KOs) is widely considered the favorite heading into his fight with Jeff Horn, he is also considered one of the top 3 best boxers in the world alongside Vasyl Lomachenko and Gennady Golovkin.
This will be his welterweight debut having won titles at lightweight and unifying the belts to become the undisputed champion at 140-pounds. Crawford presents Horn with a tougher challenge because unlike Pacquiao he is in his prime years, similar height and size to Horn, and uses both southpaw and orthodox stances making it difficult for his opponent to counter him.
Horn promises to silence all the critics by upsetting Terence Crawford just like he did with Manny Pacquiao.
Also on the main broadcast is a Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry, Antonio Moran (23-2, 16KOs) of Mexican faces former 130-pound world champion Jose Pedraza (23-1, 12KOs) of Puerto Rico in a scheduled 10 round lightweight match.
Undefeated welterweight Jose Benavidez is quickly climbing the ranks after suffering a horrific shooting that nearly derailed his boxing career. Doctors told him he would never fully compete in boxing again but defied their prediction and was able to continue fighting. He will take on fellow unbeaten Frank Rojas as part of the preliminary ESPN + telecast.
Also on the card is a showcase fight with US Olympian Shakur Stevenson taking on Aelio Mesquita in a featherweight bout.
Jeff Horn vs. Terence Crawford and Jose Pedraza vs. Antonio Moran will be broadcast live online via the ESPN+ App, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT on June 9, 2018 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Shakur Stevenson and Jose Benavidez bouts will show at 3:30 PM PT. The event is promoted by Top Rank in association with DUCO events.
