Australian boxing champion Jeff Horn faster and stronger for Gary Corcoran world title fight, says Cameron Williams

Tonight Jeff Horn steps out into the abyss.

If he makes it across the darkness of 12 rounds with British challenger Gary Corcoran, there is untold wealth waiting for him on the other side.

The other side is America, where Horn, a polite, softly-spoken white boy is gaining some traction as "promotable".

Muhammad Ali’s former promoter, Bob Arum, figures people would pay serious coin to watch the "Arsie" take on the world’s best active fighter, Terence Crawford, who is black and brash.

There's not much time for political correctness in boxing. The primitive instincts rule.

But there is danger.

If Horn is stopped by Corcoran, loses his world title, it's likely his chance of massive international pay days will pass him by.

If any of this concerns Jeff Horn (29 years, 17 fights, 11 knockouts, 0 losses, 1 draw) he hides it brilliantly. He's never looked more relaxed in public, never been sharper in training.

I've watched him transition from talented amateur to world champion in just a handful of fights.

It's only five months since he beat the great Manny Pacquiao, yet he looks noticeably faster and stronger now.

I think he'll destroy Corcoran, who is tough and brave and built like a god. He's a proud Traveller, lives in a caravan. And Travellers have produced world champions, but Gary Corcoran (27 years, 17 fights, 7 knockouts, 1 loss (ko'd), 0 draws) appears too limited to be next in line.

Aussie boxing champion Jeff Horn and Gary Corcoran pose before their world title fight in Brisbane. (AAP)

From an Australian perspective he looks and talks like a man who’d be right at home in one of Jimmy Sharman's tents.

Horn’s trainer, Glenn Rushton, is emphatic: "I set out to make Jeff a legend, not a world champion.

"The plan was to get him there fast and keep him there for a long time. We’re still growing, still climbing. We haven’t reached the summit yet.

"Being in that ring you feel alive. And it’s either heaven or hell depending on how the fight is going for you. It’s going to be a living hell for Gary, because he’s getting into the ring with a cyborg."

Not that Horn is robotic. His footwork is sublime and he’s deceptively hard to tag.

The brutal Battle of Brisbane - where Horn and Pacquiao were painted with each other's blood -made it easy for detractors to dismiss the Queenslander as "plucky and lucky".

He’s been described by some experts as "ordinary", "nothing special", "short of elite". Yet others see the intelligence, speed and evasiveness of a great career in the making.

It should be a good contest. The promoters have done a great job of contriving friction between the camps, calling Horn a dirty, headbutting cheat.

There's no genuine anger.

At least, not from the Horn camp. It’s just a job. A stepping stone to America.

When Jeff steps out into the abyss tonight he intends to light it up.

With his talent.