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Jeff Horn vs Terence Crawford: Why Americans hate Australia's boxing champ By Alex McClintock You'd think that American sports fans would love Jeff Horn
His story is almost too good to be true: a bullied teen turns up to a boxing gym, meets a coach who gives him confidence, goes to the Olympics and becomes a world champion by beating a living legend — Manny Pacquiao
Not only that, he's a devoted family man who worked as a schoolteacher before turning to pugilism full time
He's so humble he was photographed taking the bins out at his Brisbane home only a few days after his win over Pacquiao at Brisbane's Lang Park in July last year
But if social media is anything to go by, US fight fans can't stand Horn. Most think he will be embarrassingly shown up against Nebraska's Terence Crawford when the pair meet in Las Vegas on Saturday, and the tone of commentary tends to hover between disinterest and outright mockery
External Link: Americans are surprised that the "Hornet" could be taking on Crawford So why the hatred for "The Hornet"?1
A debated winThe judges' decision that Horn beat Pacquio remains hotly contested with many considering it an undeserved victory
While the Australian press covered the controversy, the fight was generally treated as a feel-good story where a local boy beat the odds
The Pacquiao team's anger and appeal to the WBO were seen as a case of sour grapes
External Link: "Are you sure?" "Even among hardcore boxing fans Jeff Horn is only known as the guy who fought Manny Pacquiao in July last year and won, but didn't deserve to win," says writer Rafe Bartholomew, who sends a weekly boxing newsletter called Respect Box
"I thought Manny won that fight. He looked bad, but I thought he won pretty clearly
"2. The broadcastAs televised fights go, Pacquiao-Horn was a big event in the US. Top Rank, Pacquiao's promoter, had just signed a deal with the sports broadcaster ESPN and it was the first time in history the Filipino star had appeared on basic cable in the US rather than premium cable or pay-per-view
More than 4 million people tuned in.They witnessed a broadcast team losing its mind and abandoning any pretence of neutrality
"They gave a huge win to Horn, the local kid, for trying hard. You're not supposed to get it for trying hard!" screamed veteran boxing analyst, Teddy Atlas
External Link: Teddy Atlas loses his mind over Horn's decision-victory "This is a horrible decision! Horrible!" yelled talking head, Stephen A Smith
There was little acknowledgement that the fight was very close and Horn's stock with fans took a big hit as a result
3. Nobody likes you when you beat a legend From victim to victor: The Jeff Horn story Jeff Horn realised from early on in his career that the only way to become a champion was to beat one
Ultimately the record book will show that Horn beat Pacquiao. But in boxing, a win isn't always a win
Horn will never get the credit that he perhaps deserves, because the ageing Pacquiao did not look like the Pacquiao of old
We boxing fans are a sentimental bunch. We'll watch our idols be battered and sent into retirement, but we won't enjoy it
And we'll hold it against the guy who did the battering, even if he or she is a great fighter
Nobody loved Larry Holmes and Gene Tunney for beating Muhammad Ali and Jack Dempsey, respectively
"You want it to go to a fighter who is worthy of that honour, who is going to take the mantle of being a pay-per-view star and a top-five pound-for-pound guy," says Bartholomew
"You want it to go to Terence Crawford or Vasyl Lomachenko, whoever the next big guy is, not Jeff Horn, who just doesn't pass the eye test as an elite, top-10 fighter
"Given the odds, any success Horn has against Crawford will be seen as a victory, and even a brave loss might endear him to the US sporting public and see him returning for more big fights
Perversely, boxing fans' low expectations for Horn may work in his favour.Alex McClintock is a freelance writer
Read next:Meet the "wizard" who turned bullied teen Jeff Horn into a world championFrom victim to victor: The making of Jeff HornHorn the "pawn" in boxing plot to strip Aussie's title