By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn was paid US$760,000 (AUD$1 million) for his successful defense against WBO #10 Gary Corcoran last week but is chasing US$4 million or (AUD$5 million) to defend against WBO mandatory contender Terrence Crawford in 2018 according to Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan who talked to Grantlee Kieza of the Courier Mail.

“I can tell you now, Jeff won’t be fighting Crawford for $1 million,” Lonergan said. ”This is a huge fight, pitting a man who beat an 11-time world champ (Pacquiao) against a fighter who is unbeaten in 32 bouts and regarded by many as the world’s best boxer, pound-for-pound. This will be one of the biggest fights in the world in 2018.”

Horn, who helped himself to the sausage rolls at the 90th birthday party for his grandfather Ray Horn at Brisbane’s Belmont Bowls Club on Saturday night, says he is keen to stay at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds even though he usually has to lose 9 pounds the day before the weigh-in.

Lonergan said the welterweight division was the “glamour” weight class at the moment and offered the biggest prizes for Horn, with a planned series of fights against Crawford and the other world welterweight champs Errol Spence and Keith Thurman.

Horn was recently offered AUD$2 million to fight former WBA super middleweight champion Anthony Mundine in a non-title bout which he is reportedly considering.