Jeff Horn v Tim Tszyu: Hornet’s stunning fitness transformation has him at his destructive best
A trimmed up Jeff Horn has added 4kg of muscle to his already ripped frame ahead of his bout with fellow Aussie Tim Tszyu but the experienced superstar is still, remarkably, a rank outsider in the fight.
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Brisbane boxer Jeff Horn has undergone a stunning fitness transformation ahead of one of the biggest fights in Australian history next week.
Horn’s training camp has revealed the 32-year-old has added four kilos of ripped, lean muscle and has lowered his resting heart rate to just 43 beats per minute ahead of the fight of his life against Tim Tszyu in Townsville.
With just one week to go until the most anticipated boxing match in recent history, Horn spent much of Tuesday night undergoing an intense sparring session with trainer Glenn Rushton.
He will then fly up to Townsville early Thursday morning to acclimatise to the North Queensland weather before jumping in the ring on Wednesday night at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
Horn admitted he felt he had returned to his destructive best form that famously downed former world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao.
“I’m extremely confident,” Horn said. “I feel strong, I feel as good as ever.
“I have a really good strength and conditioning coach (former North Queensland Cowboys forward) Chris Muckert who’s getting me in great shape.
“I’ve put on a bit of muscle and trimmed down the fat so I’m feeling the best shape I’ve ever been in.”
The “all-Australian mega-fight” next Wednesday will be the country’s grand return to boxing and Rushton admitted both boxers had their livelihoods on the line.
“There is no rematch clause here so it’s all-in,” Rushton said.
“Both of these fighters are putting everything on the line — their futures, their careers are all on the line.
“All of Jeff’s (fitness) metrics have been amazing. His resting heart rate is crazy, it’s like 43 (bpm).
“This fight, if we can stay on the trajectory we’re on, I believe Jeff will be back to his best and that’s the very destructive best.”
Despite Horn’s fitness transformation, the bookies have Tszyu as the favourite to win the fight.
Promoter Dean Lonergan described it as “unbelievably, stupidly bad” odds.
“This is the first time two real young guns are coming together at the top of their game,” Lonergan said.
“We’re expecting something exceptional up there in Townsville.
“Jeff Horn has two betting lines that I find unbelievable.
“He’s $2.70 outsider as a head-to-head and he’s $6 for knockout win which I think is unbelievably, stupidly bad.”
Queensland Sport Minister Mick de Brenni thanked the state for controlling the spread of COVID-19 so Townsville could host the biggest boxing card on the international sporting calendar.
“Queensland has become the national capital of sport and it’s now about to be the international capital of boxing,” de Brenni said.
“I congratulate all of Townsville for taking the fight to COVID which means they are able to host the biggest sporting event in 2020 so far on home turf.”
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