Terence Crawford vs. Jeff Horn welterweight title bout rescheduled for June 9 in Las Vegas

The top 147 pounders have a new date after Crawford suffered a hand injury

The welterweight title bout between Jeff Horn and former undisputed 140-pound champion Terence Crawford has a new date. 

Horn (18-0-1, 12 KOs) will defend his WBO title for the second time when he faces Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs) on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, promoter Top Rank announced Thursday. Broadcast information has not been finalized although it's expected the fight will air on ESPN or the forthcoming ESPN+ subscription streaming service. 

The fight was originally scheduled for April 14, serving as Crawford's official debut at 147 pounds. But Crawford pulled out with a right hand injury, which started a verbal war between the two camps over his toughness. 

"It's exciting to see 'Bud' Crawford move up to the welterweight division," Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said. "In Jeff Horn, he fights a big, rough, tough welterweight who won the title from one of the greats, Manny Pacquiao."

Australia's Horn, 30, a former school teacher turned Cinderella story, pinned a controversial upset on Pacquiao last July in their all-action fight in Brisbane. His attempts to lure Pacquiao into a rematch proved unsuccessful, as did Top Rank's attempt to book the Filipino icon into a co-main event slot on the original April 14 card, bumping it up to the pay-per-view level with hopes of the winners facing each other. 

"I cannot wait to get back in the ring on June 9 and win the WBO welterweight championship," Crawford said. "Jeff Horn and his team better be ready because they are going to see a bigger, stronger, and more powerful Terence Crawford. I am going home with that belt."

The card is expected to go head-to-head with a strong featherweight title rematch between Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares on Showtime.

"Defending the world title successfully a second time is a must," Horn said. "Crawford is a very talented fighter and deserves his accolades. I will be on a mission to prove the doubters wrong. Obviously, I am a very competitive guy who works really hard to achieve his goals. Crawford is a brilliant boxer, but I am coming to win, and I will win. Crawford's trash talk has only inspired me that much more to shock the world once again."

Crawford, 30, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, knocked out Julius Indongo last July to unify all four recognized titles at junior welterweight.