Boxing promoter Dean Lonergan has urged Australians fight fans not to be bewitched by the likely hype around a Danny Green-Anthony Mundine rematch and to throw their weight behind welterweight prospect Jeff Horn.
"The Hornet" (14-0-1) will step out in his native Brisbane on October 21 to fight Germany's Rico Mueller (20-1-1), with a victory having the potential to push him up towards the top of the WBO and IBF rankings. He is fourth in both divisions and wants to be No.2 in at least one by the end of the year.
That would put him in line to meet none other than Manny Pacquiao, who currently occupies the WBO No.1 challenger spot behind champion Jesse Vargas, or Errol Spence Jnr, with that bout potentially for the IBF title should Kell Brook move up and out of the division.
The former PE teacher is Australia's best-credentialled fighter and New Zealand company Duco, who swooped in to grab Horn from under the nose of local promoters, believes he can be at the cornerstone of a revamp of the Australian boxing scene in much the same as heavyweight Joseph Parker has done across the Tasman.
The local landscape has tended to revolve around old rivals Green and Mundine, who are set to meet later this year despite being in their 40s and well past any serious world title aspirations. Even footballers stepping out in the ring tend to garner more coverage than the pros.
But Lonergan said Horn, Australia's highest-ranked fighter and thought by many in the game to be our best prospect since Jeff Fenech, would put himself right in the picture if he can continue his rise towards a genuine world championship shot.
"Jeff is two to three fights away, tops, from a world title shot. That's something Australia can get behind. This is the real deal. Neither Anthony Mundine, nor Danny Green, ever won one of the legitimate world titles," Lonergan said.
"Those guys are past it ... good luck to them if they can get a pay day out of it and people take an interest.
"But at the end of the day, Jeff Horn is the real deal. He's 28, ranked in the top 10 of two of the organisations, top 12 of the third one and on his way to a world title shot, possibly against Manny Pacquiao or Errol Spence Jnr. This ain't no bullshit fight.
"We hope to build Australian boxing back up. Jeff Horn is a spectacular talent to start with ... the scene is vibrant, we just need to get the media excited again and hopefully the Australian public."
Horn, a clean-cut London Olympian, took a break in the US after his April stoppage of Randall Bailey but faces a difficult assignment against Mueller, a technical and tough German who has been working with star trainer Freddie Roach.
"He will last longer [than Bailey]. He'll be fit, has good defence and throws good combinations," Horn said. "It definitely could be a war, there could be a lot of trading punches and I'm hoping my movement is going to be better, so I'll be hitting him and he'll be missing me.
"Green and Mundine have been around for a long time and they have done a good job for boxing. But there are new people coming through. I'm the person to watch."
Duco offered a million-dollar purse for Mundine to fight Horn last year but the latter's rise had seen them discount that fight and set their sights on a world title belt.
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