Jeff Horn v Michael Zerafa: Horn ditches pizza ahead of rematch
The junk food is out for Jeff Horn as he takes a scientific approach ahead of his rematch with Michael Zerafa.
Boxing/MMA
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No more pizza. No more treadmill. Now, it’s all about fresh produce and organic proteins for Jeff Horn.
This is the new and improved training regime for the former world champion boxer ahead of his highly anticipated rematch with Michael Zerafa next month.
The Sunday Mail can reveal the most advanced and detailed training schedule Horn has ever undergone in his boxing career to make sure he seeks redemption over Victorian boxer Zerafa on December 18.
The Horn camp has forked out around $30,000 to pay for a personal chef and nutritionist for the Brisbane schoolteacher to get him in peak condition for the fight.
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Horn came under heavy scrutiny in August, including from his trainer Glenn Rushton, for becoming too complacent with his training ahead of his title bout with Zerafa in Bendigo.
The 31-year-old admitted to gouging down pizzas the night before the fight, in a bid to get heavier to fight at middleweight.
Now, the unhealthy junk food binge has been replaced by a much healthier meal plan, prepared by Brisbane chef Daniel Hernandez and nutritionist Sav Manolis.
Hernandez has been cooking up a high-carbohydrate diet with quality, organic products to bulk Horn up for the rematch at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
He has also produced tailor-made snack bars to keep Horn energised throughout his training.
“What I’ve been doing for Jeff is sourcing the right products out there to make sure he’s getting the right nutrients and the right nutrition for the training plan that he’s got,” Hernandez said.
“I’ve been trying to make his diet easy for him to digest.
“I know how hard athletes have to train so the last thing you want them to do is see food as painful.
“We make it as tasty as possible without adding any sugar, and instead using good oils like coconut oil so not to add any extra fat in his system.
“We’re also making him bliss balls and protein bars for him to snack on.”
Horn has even thrown away the treadmill and has taken up road running with his brother Ben every day around the streets south of Brisbane.
“I just believe road running is much better for your body than on the treadmill,” Ben said.
“We’ve been mixing up the lengths of the runs too.
“We’ve got long runs, at a hard steady pace and then other days we’ll be doing sprints in between.
“It’s about six to eight kilometres.”
The former world champion told The Sunday Mail he had learned from his mistakes and was looking for redemption over Zerafa, who shocked the Australian boxing world in August when he upset Horn.
“I know that I can do a lot better,” Horn said.
“There were cases in the last prep that I was putting in for every session but not hitting the targets I wanted to hit.
“This new training I can really push out some good sessions.
“This is by far the most advanced we’ve gone in my career so far to get things 100 per cent right.
“You only learn these things when things go bad.
“We’re making sure every detail is being covered for this one.”
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