Home Boxing News Jeff Horn ready for war against Michael Zerafa

Jeff Horn ready for war against Michael Zerafa

Jeff Horn faces off with Michael Zerafa. Photo credit: Noni Hyett

Australian Jeff Horn 19-1-1 (13) is predicting a bloody war when he takes on compatriot Michael Zerafa 26-3 (15) in a 10-round middleweight contest at the Bendigo Stadium in Bendigo, Australia on Saturday night.

“There’s going to be blood in Bendigo,” said Horn at the final press conference. “It’s going to be a tough fight, it’s going to be a war. Most likely one of us or both of us is coming out with blood on our faces.

“Hopefully Michael is going to have more blood on his face than I will… you never want to be the one with the blood on your face.”

The 31-year-old former WBO welterweight champion will be having his first fight as a fully-fledged middleweight and says the extra poundage has only made him stronger.

“I normally have to fight the scales before getting in and fighting the fighter, so that’s one less fight I have to have before this one,” Horn said.

“I still feel the same person, I just don’t feel as drained as I normally do at this time.

“The power certainly is heavier than it was when I was in the lighter weight division. I just think with the extra weight on my body the muscles must be relaxing because I’m hitting way harder.

“I never like to predict a fight and I always think it’s bad luck to predict a knockout, but it’s always nice to go home early.”

Horn, who defeated Manny Pacquiao to win his 147-pound world title two years ago, is pragmatic when it comes to pundits and fans dismissing his career achievements.

“It is frustrating.,” he admitted. “A lot of people talk down my achievements. Michael did it earlier in his campaign, he said who have I beaten, that they were’nt very good. And it is frustrating because there’s lots of people like it.

“I have it every day on Facebook. You get that online bullying with people saying that you’ve done nothing, fought no-one, didn’t win that fight [against Pacquiao] anyway.

“There’s so much that spoken about, but if I have to convert one person at a time or a few people at a time, then that’s what I’m going to do. I guess the next step for me is to prove that to Michael.”