Heading into yesterday’s rematch with Michael Zerafa, Jeff Horn knew only too well how his very career was on the line. And, boy, how hard did “The Hornet” fight in an effort to keep going. It was a simply incredible fight, highlighted by a spectacular and savage ninth-round, and with the decision win Horn ensured his career is very much alive.
Former WBO welterweight champ Horn, who was stopped by Zerafa in August in the first of their two middleweight rumbles, is now looking at dropping down to 154 and taking on either Tim Tszyu or WBO 154 pound champ Patrick Teixeira. Horn’s manager, Dean Lonergan, spoke with AAP and he said both fights are realistic options – but only in Brisbane. Horn, perhaps a superstitious type, has never lost a fight in Brisbane, and Rushton says Tszyu (son of course of the 1990s/2000s great) and Teixeira will have to come to Brisbane if they want the fight.
A massive star in Australia, Horn can secure his opponents a good pay day in Oz, so it is possible Teixeira will look to make the trip (as superstar Manny Pacquiao did a couple of years ago, only to be upset by Horn in a real stunner).
“If you asked me before the fight I would have said 100 percent we’d go to Sydney to fight Tszyu,” Horn’s manger Dean Lonergan told AAP. “After that fight (with Zerafa) I’m going, ‘No. If you want to fight Jeff you’re coming to Brisbane – this is our home and this is where we go best.”
Horn’s trainer, Glenn Rushton, likes both fights: Tszyu and Teixeira:
“Teixeira is a southpaw , I’d very much like that fight, that’s a really good fight for Jeff,” Rushton said. “But Tim Tszyu is quite a possibility as well. He’s a big name in Australian boxing so that could be a viable opportunity as well.”
Horn, 20-2-1(13) is in a good place right now. Far better than where he found himself at the end of August. And for any fans who are concerned Horn has taken too much punishment during his relatively short but tough career, Rushton says he has had his man take “quite a lot of testing with MRI scans,” and that all results have been clear.
Still, how many more wars can 31 year old Horn go through without paying the price?
