Family is proves to be Jeff Horn’s biggest weapon

Jeff Horn expects Anthony Mundine to turn up the mental warfare several notches this week but says with wife Jo and daughter Isabelle by his side nothing can break him.

Jeff Horn with daughter Isabelle at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: Annette Dew

Little Isabelle Horn can’t walk yet but as the ever-smiling 11-month-old baby softly coos inside her pram, her father says she is the biggest gun in his artillery to end Anthony Mundine’s career at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

Jeff Horn expects Mundine to turn up the mental warfare several notches before they climb into the ring this week for the River City Rumble but he says his wife Jo and daughter Isabelle are the wind beneath his wings as he gets ready to soar back to the top of the fight game.

Jeff Horn with daughter Isabelle at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: Annette Dew

He says Mundine has already tried to rattle him several times during the lead-up by calling Horn’s career “all-hype’’ and giving him a verbal barrage when they first came together for the pre-fight press conference in October.

“Mundine was right up in my face, telling me I didn’t have the skills to be in there with him,’’ Horn said. “He reckoned that this wasn’t going to be his last fight like he said; that I was just the beginning for him and another world title.

“But Mundine knows that I like to let my fists do the talking and they will have plenty to say on Friday.’’

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Isabelle and Jo have been almost always by Horn’s side during the preparation for this fight and Jo has even been taking boxing lessons from Horn’s fitness guru Dundee Kim to be with her husband in the gym as much as possible. Isabelle can’t walk yet but her parents say she has natural speed and that she could crawl for Australia.

On Friday Horn gave an exhibition of his speed and power in a public workout at Reddacliff Place at the top of the Queen St Mall but he made sure Jo and Isabelle were cool and comfortable inside a canvas tent while he blazed away with punches for the crowd under the noon-day sun.

The Horn family has just moved into their $1.7m Sunnybank home and Horn says the impressive residence has enough rooms for more children to keep Isabelle company.

He says his family is all the motivation he needs to end Mundine’s career with a KO on Friday night.

Jeff Horn bites into a piece of choc-olate. Picture: AAP

“Jo and Isabelle are definitely my secret weapons whenever I fight because they keep me so calm and focussed on what’s important to me. They keep me grounded,’’ he said.

“I cried when Isabelle was born and I fight to give my family the very best life I can. I’m fighting for them in the ring and they motivate me like nothing else.’’

Jo, who met Jeff when he was a high school nerd, went to his first amateur fight 11 years ago at Acacia Ridge unable to comprehend how “such a nice, shy, placid boy’’ would want to do boxing.

“But I cheered him on,’’ Jo said. “He has this amazing inner strength and determination.

“To be honest I really don’t know how I handle him boxing. The last week before the fight is really bad as the pressure builds. But I just try to take it hour by hour and wait till it’s all over. Often when he’s boxing I have to look away.’’

Horn is confident of having the power and the passion to score a stoppage late in Friday night’s fight which he hopes will allow him to pursue another world title shot in 2019. He is already considering a bout with Japan’s ex-world middleweight champ and Olympic gold medallist Ryota Murata and sees Mundine as a vital stepping stone to that bout given Murata and Mundine are of a similar size – around 180cm and 72kg.

Mundine will try to rattle Horn more outside the ring this week before trying to rattle him with his fast hands and experience on Friday night.

Jeff Horn works the noodles with Dundee Kim. Picture: Getty

On Saturday Mundine insisted that as part of their contract, Horn fly to Sydney and back for a 10-minute press conference, even though Horn baulked saying he didn’t like to travel so close to a bout.

Mundine had been forced to fly to Sydney and Melbourne for press appearances a week earlier and wasn’t about to let the former world champ off the hook when it came to his commitments.

Mundine will have an open training session on Monday at Reddacliff Place at the river end of the Queen St Mall.

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