Horn reads the comments. Hey, he had to stand there after winning the title and listen to Teddy Atlas tell him it was his lucky day because he actually lost. To this point, he hasn't lost his patience or humility, although you suspect the day may eventually arrive. "It’s a mix of emotions really. I kind of can’t really give a shit about it but in saying that, it’s good when I get recognition from them. It’s annoying when I don't and it drives me," Horn says. "Either way, I try to look at everything as a positive. If they give me praise, I’ll say thank you. If they don’t, I’ll just train harder and use it next time." In one of Horn's first interviews on US soil, after a workout in the Top Rank gym where he has based himself ahead of the fight the bout at the MGM Grand, the second question was how he felt about being 'overlooked' as he defends his belt. The $2.5m payday certainly helps but Horn shrugged and gave the same answer he always does; that it's up to him to prove everybody wrong. Again.

"I think even if I win this fight, there will be people that say I was lucky, or Crawford doesn’t go well at welterweight, or Crawford was injured. I’m sure there will be excuses," Horn said. One thing is certain ... if Horn were to beat Crawford and retain his title, it would be one of the great 'up yours' in recent boxing history. As Horn points out, everything from the venue to the date has been made in Crawford's favour. "It would be very satisfying that’s for sure. To beat Terence Crawford, their No.1 pound-for-pound fighter ... well, what can you say now? What are you going to come up with? Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "We’ve let them have everything. We’ve let them postpone the date, then there was the (hand) injury, it’s on his home turf. Everything is in their favour.

"I’m sure that was their plan. But on the night, it’s all going unravel." A man at the height of his powers, Crawford presents an entirely different challenge for Horn than Pacquiao, who was at the tail end of his career when he waltzed into the ring at Suncorp Stadium. But the noises coming out of Crawford's camp are eerily similar to that of Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach. On that occasion, Pacquiao was convinced it would be an easy afternoon's work and all that mattered was the spectacular nature of his inevitable knock-out, which in turn would earn him another rich pay day. Crawford's trainer Brian McIntyre doesn't appear to have learned many, if any, lessons from the manner in which Team Pacquiao treated the challenge of Horn. He's already flown off the handle at Horn and his trainer 60-year-old trainer Glenn Rushton, who he apparently wants to beat up. "The pressure’s on Horn but I don’t give a damn where the pressure’s at because Horn’s still getting his ass whipped. I’m gonna look right at his coach and say 'you asshole'," McIntyre unleashed in a recent interview.

"I tried to tell you that we was gonna win — you been talking all that shit, putting all that shit in the newspaper — all that shit on social media and you didn’t have a clue what you were going up against. I think Horn and his coach are scared because they know that Terence Crawford is going to whip Jeff Horn’s butt." It might all turn out to be true but McIntyre would hardly be the first to completely misread what Horn brings in the ring. There's something about his fighting style that seems to give opponents unbridled confidence, until the bell goes. "I don’t know if it’s the way I move. They look at me and just don’t think I’m much good. But when they are in there, there are subtle movements. They think I’m doing one thing and end up getting punched in the face. "I try to make it as confusing as I can. I think he’s going to be getting out of the ring and say 'wow, I didn’t expect that'." Horn doesn't want to be fighting when he's on the wrong side of 35 and will earn enough money from this bout to set him up for life. He maintains that his motivation has never been better even if he already has one eye on an eventual exit from the punishing sport.

"All I’ve got to focus on is boxing. I do have a five-year plan to get out of the sport and I’ve been doing it for 10 years. There’s still a long path, especially when you are at the top and you are holding onto this belt. I have to keep it as long as I can," Horn said. One thing is for certain - Horn won't be getting on a plane back to Brisbane with a bunch of 'what ifs' spinning around his mind. If Crawford wants the belt, he's going to have to earn it from the first round. "If anyone knows me, they know that I love a challenge. If I ever get beaten in something, all I want to do is do it again straight away. That’s just my nature. "But I’m not planning on getting beaten. I have an undefeated record and I want to keep that... and go in against an undefeated fighter and break that streak. "I have to make sure I try to win every round I can, from one to 12. I don’t want to be sitting back waiting to get counter punched. I don’t want to leave the ring thinking I was too tentative, thinking that I could have done so much more."