Horn sees Pacman KO in one blow

BRISBANE – Jeff Horn insists he can take Manny Pacquiao out with just one punch.

And it’s the same blow which Pacquiao is most susceptible to.

“I reckon the key punch [against Pacquiao] is definitely the right because he’s a left-hander,” a confident Horn told the hosts of local sports show Sports Sunday here.

Indeed, the Filipino icon, who stakes his WBO welterweight championship next Sunday against the younger Horn, has always been a sucker for the right hand.

And with Horn claiming to possess a powerful right straight, it will be intriguing to see whether he can hurt the 38-year-old Pacquiao, who has an iron chin.

“He [Pacquiao] leads with his right forward. And he’s been knocked out by a right [hand] before,” added the 29-year-old Brisbane native.

Memories of Pacquiao getting knocked out cold by Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth meeting in 2012 remain fresh in Horn’s mind. It was a perfectly timed overhand right by Marquez at the closing seconds of the sixth round that sent Pacquiao to dreamland.

Horn believes it can be done again.

“Leading that overhand right, the same one (Juan Manuel) Marquez got him with, is just timing,” he continued.

Horn is exactly a week away from the biggest fight of his career, and the licensed schoolteacher loves the spotlight so far. On Monday afternoon, he is scheduled to hold an open workout and sit down with the media for interviews.

While he is confident he can get the job done against Pacquiao, he acknowledged that it won’t be an easy task.

“Now I know I’m going to get hit in there, but hopefully not just as much as Pacquiao,” said Horn. – Dino Maragay/Philstar.com