Tag: Brisbane

Aussies Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu agree to terms for April fight

Junior middleweights Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu have agreed to face each other in an April showdown.

Australia has its next blockbuster fight.

Junior middleweights Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu have agreed on terms to face one another in April, although they haven’t settled upon a specific date. The news was first reported by The Daily Telegraph.

The location has not yet been determined, but Brisbane is thought to the front runner to land the fight. Sydney is also a possibility. Negotiations were contentious but the two sides eventually agreed to a 60-40 financial split that favors the 31-year-old Horn, who has been the de facto face of Australian boxing for the past few years.

Horn-Tszyu will be the biggest fight in Australia since Horn challenged Filipino star Manny Pacquiao in 2017. Horn won that bout controversially to become the WBO welterweight titleholder. He then lost his title to Terence Crawford in 2018. Since then, Horn drubbed countryman Anthony Mundine in one round and then engaged Michael Zerafa in a wild two-fight series.

Horn (20-2-1, 13 KOs) was stopped by Zerafa in nine rounds last August but turned the tables four months later, outpointing  Zerafa in a barnburner that saw both fighters sustain hellacious punishment. Horn dropped Zerafa twice but was also out on his feet at one point.

The 25-year-old Tszyu (15-0, 11 KOs), son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, will be taking a considerable step up in competition. He has faced middling opposition since turning pro in 2016. He fought four times last year, including a decision over Dwight Ritchie, who subsequently died as a result of injuries suffered during a sparring session.

“This is what I was born for,” Tszyu told Fox Sports. “I’ve been fighting my whole life for this particular moment. I want to test him. I know I can [dig deep]. 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.”

Jeff Horn exacts revenge on Michael Zerafa with majority decision

Jeff Horn outslugged Michael Zerafa to win by a majority points decision in a 12-round middleweight bout Wednesday night in Brisbane.

A late – and bloody – contender for Fight of the Year unfolded on Wednesday night in Brisbane, Australia.

In a widely anticipated middleweight rematch, Jeff Horn avenged his loss to Michael Zerafa in August, outgrinding his domestic rival and scoring two knockdowns in the pivotal ninth round en route to a majority decision in front of a sold-out crowd at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

One judge had it a draw at 94-94, while the two others had it 98-90 and 97-92 in favor of the Queenslander Horn, who came into the fight wearing gloves with Zerafa’s name printed on the thumb. Horn, best known for his upset decision over Manny Pacquiao at welterweight in 2017, clearly meant business, and the fight played out as such.

The tone was set from the opening bell, with Horn (20-2-1, 13 KOs) storming out of his corner with gusto. The two traded all fight long, but it was Horn who had the upper hand in the exchanges. Horn consistently closed the distance and made sure to bring his roughhouse style to bear on Zerafa, who never seemed to get a handle on Horn this time aorund.

Michael Zerafa (right) had no excuses after his loss to rival Jeff Horn on Wednesday in Brisbane, Australia. Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images

In the first fight, Zerafa (27-4, 16 KOs) knocked out Horn in the ninth round and it appeared early in the same round in this match that he might get the same result. Aware that he was well behind on the cards, Zerafa came out with a blinding onslaught of punches that had Horn bloodied and nearly out on this feet.

But Horn would receive an assist at that point, when referee John Cauci called a timeout to examine Horn’s brutal cut and he had time to recover. With a minute left in the round, Horn roared back, dropping Zerafa with a right hand. Moments later, he followed up with another right that had Zerafa down a second time.

Zerafa survived but this was Horn’s night.

Said Zerafa afterward: “There were no excuses.”