Horn still plagued by weight problems
Jeff Horn signs an oversized boxing glove during Wednesday's press conference at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, to promote his fight with Manny Pacquiao. | Wendell Rupert Alinea
BRISBANE, Australia – With his fight against Manny Pacquiao just around the corner, Jeff Horn is still nowhere near the welterweight limit.
At a public workout near a shopping district here, Horn bared that he still weighs 70.3 kilos, or 155 pounds.
That means the 29-year-old prospect needs to shed eight pounds in order to make the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. And he only has a couple of days to do it before the official weigh-in on Saturday.
But Horn remains unperturbed, expressing confidence he can deal with this last remaining hurdle standing between him and the biggest of his career.
“I’m doing it a lot better this time. I’m walking probably at 70.3 kilos at the moment, so I’ve only got three or four kilos to lose to make weight. It’s a lot easier than five,” Horn told those in attendance while atop a boxing ring at the center of a plaza across the busy Queens Street Mall.
Only when Horn tips the scales below or exactly at 147 pounds can he truly focus on the difficult task of dethroning Pacquiao and taking his WBO welterweight title.
"All I’m thinking about is making weight—that’s the next challenge ahead of me. After that on Saturday morning, that’s when the focus will be completely on the fight with Manny Pacquiao," the Brisbane native added.
Horn better hurdle the scales on Saturday if he is keen at taking Pacquiao’s belt. Because he fails to do so, it will mean the WBO welterweight championship is off the table for him even if he beats Pacquiao.
Normally, if a challenger fails to make weight, the world title on the line is declared vacant even if he defeats the reigning champion.
Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton earlier assured the press that the weight is not an issue.
“We'll get through the weight,” Rushton told the media a few days ago.
Horn, for his part, believes he can still make it, even seeing himself at an advantage once he enters the ring significantly heavier than Pacquiao on fight day.
“I’m gonna feel strong, and I’m gonna feel bigger than Manny because I know he’s probably sitting around the weight. Hopefully that’s an advantage for me,” said Horn.
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