BRISBANE, Australia – Challenger Jeff Horn and long-trainer Glenn Rushton share a secret they intend only to make public this Sunday at Suncorp Stadium.
Horn, who challenges world welterweight king Manny Pacquiao, and Rushton, believe “the 10-point plan” is designed to unseat the Filipino legend.
“The 10-point plan is spot-on and if I follow it, we will do well,” said Horn before staging an open media workout at Rushton’s palatial home Monday afternoon.
They didn’t elaborate what their gameplan is but Horn, 29, stressed that his being younger by almost ten years, and that he is the naturally bigger guy, should be vital.
“I see Manny as a small man,” said Horn, who had yet to box professionally when Pacquiao was already terrorizing the lower weight classes.
Because Pacquiao, who began fighting as a light-flyweight (108 lbs) during the mid-1990s, has to bulk up by eating, Horn feels he won’t have enough ammo to break him down.
Rushton readily agrees as he is likewise confident that there is just a small chance Pacquiao could make a dent.
“I haven’t seen Jeff get hurt and he’s got a jaw made of granite,” boasted Rushton, who is also a mixed martial arts enthusiast.
Rushton also points to another facet of the fight game that he feels will be a decider in the scheduled 12-rounder.
Pacquiao’s devastating sixth-round knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez almost five years ago has also made the eight-division titlist a lot more beatable.
“Something changes in the chemistry of your brain. He’s a measured fighter now,” said Rushton, aware that Pacquiao has somehow mellowed and has morphed into a calculating fighter.
Ever sine Pacquiao suffered that smackdown against Marquez, the 38-year-old lefty has found it even more difficult to score a stoppage.
And because Rushton has complete faith in his fighter, the tandem is looking forward to a late-round stoppage before a crowd that will number surpass the 51,000 hat watched Pacquiao outclass Joshua Clottey in 2010.