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Horn-Zerafa rematch Dec 18
By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing
Former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn will clash with WBA #8 middleweight Michael Zerafa in a rematch on December 18 in Brisbane it has been confirmed by Horn’s camp.
The Melbourne fighter has promised to end Horn’s career in their re-match to be held at the Brisbane Convention Centre after claiming his camp pleaded with the ex-world boxing champion to let him fight WBA middleweight champion Ryota Murata, only to be knocked back.
Horn’s camp have admitted they may have to talk about retirement if their charge suffers a second loss to Zerafa.
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Horn-Zerafa Rematch Wednesday
By Ray wheatley – World of Boxing
WBA #7 middleweight Michael Zerafa (27-3, 16 KOs) is confident he will defeat former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn (19-2-1, 13 KOs) again when they clash in a rematch on Wednesday at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Brisbane, Australia on Foxtel Main Event Pay-Per-View.
Zerafa is upset that he could not have the opportunity to challenge Ryota Murata for the WBA middleweight crown because he was contractually obligated to give Horn the rematch.
”Now it’s just become personal because he stopped me from making more money with better fights,” Zerafa told Sporting News. “Now it’s his funeral. It’s just made me hate Jeff Horn. Now I see his true colors. I will end Jeff Horn’s career this time.”
Horn promised to be in the best fight shape of his career, unlike their first fight where he was stopped by Zerafa in the ninth round.
“I was a little bit guilty of cutting corners the last time, little things that made me mentally underestimate Zerafa. It was embarrassing. I definitely didn’t fight the way I normally do. Now I have a hunger. To get that win back and a world title after that would be great.”
Oddsmakers have Zerafa a -350 favorite to beat Horn again.
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Lonergan: Horn will destroy Tszyu
By Raymond Wheatley – World of Boxing
Former WBO welterweight champion Jeff “The Hornet” Horn (20-2-1, 13 KOs) will destroy IBF #7 light middleweight Tim Tszyu (15-0, 11 KOs)when they clash in their proposed multi-million dollar bout that will happen in early 2020 according to Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan.
”Not a chance (he could beat Jeff in his next fight),” Lonergan said to The Australian. “Jeff Horn on that performance destroys Tim Tszyu, and I’ll also say that Michael Zerafa on that performance and his last performance destroys Tim Tszyu.
“It’s not even the same conversation. But at the end of the day, we’ll take the fight, Jeff will make a lot of money for knocking him the f— out. After Jeff Horn lost to Crawford, Tim Tszyu said ‘get me that fight.’ Are you kidding me? One is the best in the world and one that has beaten a few Australian club fighters. Seriously?
“Jeff Horn verses Tim Tszyu — it is no war, it is a trouncing. We will have a look around at the opportunities. I don’t want to fight at middleweight ever again. We all agree that light middleweight is where he should be. I would like to see Jeff, as long as he is up for it … fighting again in April. If he is going to fight, he gets back training at the end of January and we fight in April. We go into full-on camp on February 1.
“At his age, he doesn’t need hit-outs, we need fights to be meaningful. Whether that is to be the number one Australian at light middleweight or a world champion at light middleweight, it’s up to what Jeff wants. We need to put fights in front of Jeff that motivate him. The first Zerafa fight didn’t … we ended up with a fat welterweight and he lost. This one really motivated him and he won.”
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Tim Tszyu: Sign the contract Horn!
By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing
IBF #7 light middleweight Tim Tszyu wants to meet former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn in April to decide who is best 154 pounder Down Under. “Jeff Horn’s promoter (Dean Lonergan) will be talking today to my promoter (Matt Rose) and I am hoping that the fight can be made so we can fight in three or four months,” said Tszyu on the Channel Seven Sunrise show. “Horn only has to sign the contract and we can get it on.”
Tszyu has agreed to a 60/40 split in favor of Horn. There is speculation that the fight would be staged in the city of Perth in Western Australia.
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Horn-Tszyu clash agreed to for April
By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing
Former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn and IBF #7 light middleweight Tim Tszyu have agreed to meet in April at a venue yet to be decided with Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Townsville all under consideration.
”I have a lot of respect for Tim Tszyu, and what his dad did in the past,” Horn told the Main Event boxing podcast. “But it definitely comes down to business and I’m in there to beat Tim Tszyu.”
“It’s my opportunity,” said Tszyu. “It’s the best position that I want to be at, and I know this [fight] is the one. This is what I was born for. I’ve been fighting my whole life for this particular moment.”
The 25-year-old Tszyu added, “I want to test him. I know I can. Yes, he’s fought some of the greats, but I believe I can bring him into those trenches and test him in a way he’s already been tested, and in a way he won’t be able to survive.
“This fight is like every fight of mine. I’m going to take it seriously and again, it’s just one step at a time. Jeff Horn’s just another name on the list.”
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Zerafa predicts Horn will defeat Tszyu
By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing
WBO #4 middleweight Michael Zerafa has predicted that former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn will defeat IBF #7 light middleweight Tim Tszyu when they clash in April at a venue yet to be decided.
“I think Horn’s aggressiveness, his strength, his awkwardness – I believe he beats Tszyu,” Zerafa told Sporting News. “Just on experience, lack of experience. Tszyu’s growing, he’s a great fighter, but I think Horn steals the win…just. Just.
Zerafa says take away Tszyu’s last name and he hasn’t earned that fight yet. “Me and Horn, we’ve beaten world champions, we’ve fought around the world, we’ve fought world champions. He hasn’t earned that spot yet.”
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Starting to lose himself’: Horn’s grim Mundine warning — and his own private battle revealed
When is enough actually enough?
Source: AAP
No boxer wants to be the guy who is fighting long after he should have stopped.
And more so now than ever, those in the sport are learning to get out before it’s too late.
For Jeff Horn, he’s getting a lesson in what not to do from Anthony Mundine, while fighting the same battle with his own family.
Horn, a former world champion, is used to getting in the ring, doing his thing, and more often-than-not, having his hand raised.
But for the last 18 months, he’s been involved in a fight with those closest to him. While he still has aspirations to get back to the top of world boxing, his family is ready for him to call it quits.
Horn brushed off retirement talk when he exacted revenge against Michael Zerafa in December of last year, and yet those questions didn’t float too far. And that’s largely because of the pressure that’s coming from within Horn’s circle.
Horn: Tszyu not readyHorn: Tszyu not ready1:43
“If it was up to my wife, I wouldn’t be fighting at all anymore,” Horn told foxsports.com.au.
“She’s learned to go, ‘I’ve had enough of it, I’ve dealt with it for so long now already, I’m happy for you not to get punched in the head anymore. I don’t want you to lose your mind.’
“I’m totally on the same page as [my family]. I don’t want to go on too long, and have anything go wrong with myself, but at the same time I feel like I’ve still got boxing to give, and I’m at the top of the game now.”
Horn admits he’s playing a dangerous game. It’s “very hard” to maintain the right frame of mind to win a fight when your family doesn’t even want you to step foot in the ring.
On April 22, he faces Tim Tszyu, who is seven years his junior and looking to take down the last name on his Australian boxing hit list before he can turn his attention to the rest of the world. And Horn has to train, and eventually get in the ring, knowing that his family openly disapproves.
“I believe that he’s not hungry anymore,” Tszyu told foxsports.com.au.
“He says that he’s going to train hard blah blah blah, but he’s not hungry as he was before the Pacquiao fight.
“I’m in the position where I am [hungry]. I’m ready to eat, and he’s just food on the plate.”
Horn’s promoter, Dean Lonergan, says his fighter’s been dealing with this for the past “year-and-a-half”.
“... His wife has big bearings on what he does,” Lonergan explained. “I know she hates seeing him in the ring, particularly when he’s getting hurt, and cut, and belted, and that’s just the nature of the beast for a fighter.”
Not exactly known for picking his opponents apart, Horn got to the top of world boxing by betting he was tougher than the guy across from him. And more often than not, he was right.
But it’s also seen him take damage. He went twelve rounds with Manny Pacquiao, was beaten to a pulp in nine against Terence Crawford, was stopped by Zerafa in the Battle of Bendigo, before overcoming some serious damage to win the sequel.
Point is, it hasn’t been a pretty ride. It has been lucrative, though, and Tszyu represents another big payday. But for his family, that money is no longer a good enough reason to continue.
“It is very hard to convince especially family members,” Horn said. “Close family members ... they’re the ones that really care [about me], and don’t care about anything to do with boxing or the money side of it.
“It doesn’t matter, they just want me to be healthy and happy, and if that’s not boxing, that’s what they would prefer.”
Would Horn hang them up before he actually wants to, because of that pressure? “Potentially,” he says.
Though, Horn added: “I really think though I have to get out more fights for myself, and this is one of them.
“I feel like I’ve got more left in the tank, and I would hate to retire and then come back at 35-plus, and go, ‘I want to have another fight’ ... I will not be that person.”
But while a 32-year-old Horn is dealing with retirement pressure, a 44-year-old Mundine is being talked about as a potential opponent for Zerafa.
“I look at Mundine, he retired, he’s been going for a long time now. He’s been punched in the head a heap of times — one really good one from me — and I think he needs to hang them up,” Horn said, with a hint of concern.
“You’re finally starting to see with Mundine ... he’s slightly starting to change, even if it’s not much.
“I think Mundine is starting to lose himself, and I definitely don’t want to be in that position he’s in.
“I don’t know why he’s still doing it; he’s made millions from the sport of boxing, he shouldn’t need to keep fighting. But he loves it. That’s the bad part for him. He actually loves that media attention, he loves proving people wrong.”
Mundine lost to John Wayne Parr, a career Muay Thai fighter, in what was supposed to be his farewell bout at the end of last year. Before that, he said he’d stop after being knocked out by Horn in 96 seconds in 2018.
“You don’t look at him and go, ‘Woah, he should really, really stop’, but people have said to me and I’ve noticed little cues that his talking is starting to change,” Horn said.
“When I saw Michael Zerafa chasing him ... I just shook my head, like ‘what is going on here?’
“It was just disappointing to see, because I feel like he did very well in his career and was right to hang up his gloves when he did because he couldn’t beat John Wayne Parr.
“But to come back and fight a young, hungry Michael Zerafa, I think that will definitely be the end of him.”
Horn learned the hard way against Zerafa just how damaging a loss can be. One step away from a world title fight, he landed on a snake and slid all the way back to the middle of the board.
A win in their rematch was his first step back. The Tszyu fight is the next on a long journey back to where he wants to be.
He sees the “hunger” in his next opponent’s eyes, “because I had that as well.”
“He wants to prove himself, and he is a dangerous, dangerous character to have in [the ring], and I’ve got to train my very best to beat him.”
If he can’t beat Tszyu, though, the path back to the top might just be too long, arduous, and unlikely to cancel out the voices telling him to stop.
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Tszyu: Horn’s a stepping stone for me
By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing
IBF #7, WBO #9 light middleweight Tim Tszyu is confident he will defeat former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn when they clash on April 22 in Australia at a venue yet to be decided.
“I knew I was going to beat him from the first time I saw him,” Tszyu told AAP. “We could have fought last year and I could have beat him, I believe, I’m ready now. I don’t think he’s got much boxing skills, besides his physicality, that’s all.
“Jeff Horn, I don’t think he’s world class, just under,” Tszyu said. “He’s a stepping stone for me. I have a few fights to get through this year. I’ve got world titles to win. He’s 31 (sic), he wants to drag it out. I’m young: I’ve got the whole world ahead of me.
“Haven’t watched [Horn vs. Zerafa] — I was sunbaking in Hawaii. I had better things on at that time. I like big boxing fights — not little local ones like that. It didn’t really interest me.”
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Interesting that Horn is not ranked in the top 15 in ANY of the alphabets. After being a champ too; how quickly they forget.
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