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Jeff Horn signs up to defend title, plus a Brisbane showdown with Conor McGregor

Jeff Horn celebrates his triumph over Manny Pacquiao. Now he has to defend the hard-won title.

Jeff Horn celebrates his triumph over Manny Pacquiao. Now he has to defend the hard-won title. Photo; Getty

Jeff Horn will defend his welterweight title against England’s Gary “Hellraiser” Corcoran in Brisbane on December 13 before taking on the UFC’s Conor McGregor.

News Corp is reporting the world champ has locked in a two-fight deal, backed by the Queensland state government and Brisbane City Council, that would then see him take on the UFC’s Conor McGregor.

The Irishman had his first professional boxing bout back in August when he was stopped in the eighth round by Floyd Mayweather in a fight thought to have earned the combatants a total of more than $A300 million.

Gary Corcoran: the hard-punching Englishman credits his Gypsy upbringing with making him tougher than nails.

For Horn, the Corcoran bout will be his first since a points decision win over Manny Pacquiao back in July – and he isn’t taking it lightly.

“Corcoran is 26, so he’s three years younger than me — he’s very fit, strong and hungry,’’ Horn told the Courier-Mail.

“He’s a dangerous guy. I know what it’s like to be a determined underdog, just like he is going into this fight.

“This is his golden opportunity to do what I did against Pacquiao but there are millions of dollars on offer for me with big fights in 2018 so I can’t let this guy come to my home town and wreck all my good work.’’

Corcoran, who rates himself more of a brawler than an exponent of the “sweet science”, says he’ll be heading Down Under intent on sending Horn back to his former job as a school teacher.

After the Corcoran bout, Jeff Horn’s next foe will be Ireland’s inked and illustrated man, Conor McGregor.

“No one my weight can stand and trade with me,” he told an interviewer in 2012. “I’m very strong and I just keep coming.”

The fight will be held at the Brisbane Convention Centre, the Wednesday night deliberately selected to maximise pay-television earnings.

The Wednesday night fixture is thought to be most beneficial for pay television earnings.

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