Horn beats Corcoran to retain WBO welterweight crown
Jeff Horn (left) fights England's Gary Corcoran during their World Boxing Organization welterweight title bout at the Brisbane Convention Centre in Brisbane, Australia, on December 13, 2017. The Australian boxer retained his title with an 11th-round TKO win.
Jeff Horn followed up his contentious World Boxing Organization welterweight title win over Manny Pacquiao with a successful first defense on Wednesday against Gary Corcoran.
The former school teacher from Australia won by technical knockout in the 11th round when Corcoran's corner threw in the towel with the England-based boxer bleeding from a deep cut above his left eye.
It was Horn's first fight since his unanimous decision upset over eight-division champion Pacquiao in front of more than 51,000 fans in an outdoor afternoon fight at nearby Suncorp Stadium in July in the "Battle of Brisbane — a victory that some critics dismissed as a hometown decision.
Horn, now unbeaten in 19 bouts, is hoping the win at the Brisbane Convention Centre sets him up for a fight against Terence Crawford in Las Vegas next year.
"Yeah, there is a lot to prove to a lot of Americans," Horn said. "There's always going to be the doubters. All I can do is keep winning. Hopefully I can start changing people's minds one by one."
The early rounds were close with Corcoran continually walking forward and the pair clinching in close, but Horn landed enough punches to have a lead before he started to find his range in the seventh.
"He definitely pushed me," Horn said. "I felt my timing was a bit off, but I got him in the end."
Corcoran (12-2) needed six stitches to the cut above his left eye and another four stitches to a cut on the right.
He said he wasted energy in the early rounds and it cost him in the end.
"I just didn't let my shots go, was getting very tense," he said. "You're fighting for a world title. Better man won on the night, that's it. I fought a good fighter. I'll be back."
Having won his first world title and defended it in his hometown, Horn said he was looking forward to fighting in the United States.
"From the start, it's where I pictured myself fighting for a world title," he said, adding the he was confident of ending Crawford's unbeaten run when the American moved up to the welterweight division. "He's someone I can beat."
