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Jeff Horn needs to 'throw his phone in the bin' as he prepares to face Manny Pacquiao

Phil Lutton
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Things just became very real for Jeff Horn. For all the talk about dreams and ambition and emotion and aspiration, nothing can snap fighters back to reality faster than laying eyes on their opponent for the first time.

On Wednesday, that's going to happen to Horn as he faces off with Manny Pacquiao, who arrived in Brisbane early on Monday, as part of the promotional tour for July 2's WBO welterweight title bout at Suncorp Stadium.

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Pacquiao's message for Horn

Manny Pacquiao has a message for Jeff Horn before their July showdown.

Even for the Filipino champion, a millionaire hundreds of times over and an eight-time world champion across 11 divisions, it will be an experience. If predictions of 55,000-plus fans are accurate, it will be the largest crowd he's graced with his presence.

For Horn, the occasion has the potential to blow his mind. But there will hurdles and pitfalls along the way, with the softly spoken 29-year-old to be bombarded with media and promotional commitments on a scale he won't be able to yet imagine.

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His trainer Glenn Rushton believes Horn can handle the pressure and exposure. Pacquiao will do it on his ear. Two fights ago, he was in with Floyd Mayweather jnr in a fight that was hyped to within an inch of its life.

But for boxers getting their first taste of the big time, there's is only one way to find out. And any mishandling of the overwhelming public relations workload can prove disastrous for inexperienced prospects.

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"He really is going to have to manage that – and that's easier said than done. Because that is a distraction – 100 per cent that is a distraction. And it's something that he's not used to doing," said Noel Thornberry, who trained Alex Leapai to an improbable heavyweight title shot in Germany against Wladimir Klitschko.

"It cuts into everything you do. Jeff Horn's phone, I would get it right now and throw it in the bin. That would be the best thing to do ... get off social media, just concentrate on the fight. This is a life-changer for him."

Leapai was already a wild outsider against Klitschko but struggled with the demands of the build-up. It didn't help him in the ring when, ashen-faced and timid from the start, he was pounded into submission in round five.

"Two of the guys that participated in the highest-grossing fight of all time, one of them is retired, the other one is about to be across the ring from Jeff Horn. This is a massive, massive thing for any boxer," Thornberry said. 

"He has to make the most of that. Cut yourself off, do it tough. His reality no longer exists because he's going to be getting pulled in every direction. The people around [him] have to be very strong and make sure outside influences don't impact his chances in the fight."

Pacquiao and Horn will hold a joint press conference at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday, before the champion visits Sydney and Melbourne. He spoke briefly on Monday, welcoming the chance to fight in Australia and telling Horn he better be ready.

"My message for him is to work hard and show you are 100 per cent conditioned on July 2 so we can give people a good fight," Pacquiao said.

"The fans motivate me to defend my belt on July 2. I'm looking forward to that. That's good for him that there's a lot of people to cheer for him. That's what I want. I love that."

Horn strikes most observers as grounded, level-headed and confident above his 16-1-0 record as a pro. Like Pacquiao, he doesn't talk a big game but has absolutely no doubt he can not only compete but win.

That's the kind of attitude that counts, says Thornberry, who believes fighting at home will give the former schoolteacher a substantial boost as he prepares for a fight that, should he win, set him on the path to fortune and fame.

"Everything will be familiar. The only thing that won't is Manny Pacquiao in the other corner. I think that Jeff, although he's not very outspoken, has a really strong self-belief. There will be some nerves but if Jeff Horn concentrates on what he is able to do – and what Manny might be able to do – he will be fine.

"The best you can do is tell them to treat it like any other fight and that's all mind over matter. That's very hard, because when the person in the other corner is an all-time great, Wladimir Klitschko or Manny Pacquiao, it becomes very real, very quickly.

"The best advice a trainer or manager can give is to get your fighter to be confident and believe in themselves. If Jeff Horn goes out there and is his rough and tumble and controls centre ring, he's a big chance."

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