Terence "Bud" Crawford won't be in Brisbane on Wednesday night as planned but the American will be the only name on the lips of the winner as a massive date looms for whoever walks away with the WBO welterweight belt.
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The undefeated 30-year-old from Nebraska was intended to be a guest at the fight. Instead, late visa issues will mean he misses the card, although they aren't complex enough to stop him fighting in Australia should the opportunity arise.
Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs) is rated the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world on a number of influential lists and has already been installed as the mandatory challenge for the winner, with any bout likely to take place in Las Vegas in April.
He has already unified the light-welterweight titles and his promoter Bob Arum, who has a two-fight deal with Horn, wants to serve up Horn as an entree into the welterweight title ranks.
Should Horn beat Corcoran as expected, it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for the Brisbane-based titleholder. His share of the purse would dwarf any earnings he made in his famous win against Manny Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium this winter, when he stunned the Filipino legend to walk away with the spoils.
The distraction has been significant for Horn, who admitted the idea of facing Crawford has entered his mind on more than one occasion. Unlike Pacquiao, who was past his prime when he faced Horn, Crawford would enter the ring as an overwhelming favourite at the peak of his powers.
Horn said he'd done his best to put it out of his mind until he gets past Corcoran, who remains the outsider but has been subject to late support as Horn battles with his weight.
"I've tried not to think about my next fight until it happens. He's definitely a possibility if I manage to get through Gary first," Horn said.
"I want to become a legend. You don't do that by winning once and then losing."
Arum has become a fan of Horn and was one of the few before the Pacquiao fight that gave him some hope. Given his opinion of Crawford, it's unlikely that would be the case should the pair meet in 2018.
"Terence Crawford has a great, great skill level, he is an extremely smart fighter, traditionally, when you look at fighters, like Ray [Leonard], [Marvin] Hagler and so on, he fits right in there with them," Arum said recently.
