Jeff Horn’s $30,000 recipe for multimillion-dollar payday against Tim Tszyu

After fingers were pointed at the pizza for his Michael Zerafa defeat, Jeff Horn is thanking his expert nutritionist and personal chef for a likely big-money showdown against Tim Tszyu.

Boxer Jeff Horn working at home in his kitchen with his nutritionist Sav Manoli, and personal chef Dan Hernandez, Sunny Bank. Photographer: Liam Kidston

• The bad decisions that left Horn’s career on the brink
• Zerafa launches formal protest over Horn defeat

Here is the $30,000 recipe that powered Jeff Horn to his stunning victory over Michael Zerafa and could yield multimillion-dollar paydays next year.

A revolutionary diet plan devised by an expert nutritionist and cooked by a personal chef saw Horn transform his physique and fitness in two months to take revenge on Zerafa last Wednesday.

Horn’s points victory had set wheels in motion for a $6 million showdown against Tim Tszyu next April, with Bankwest Stadium and Qudos Bank Arena already bidding for the event alongside Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium and North Queensland’s new Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

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Horn was out of shape for his first fight with Zerafa. Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

However, talks between the camps broke down on Saturday after Horn demanded a 60-40 split on money and that the fight take place in Brisbane.

While relations are strained, it’s expected the parties will resume talks next year to make the superfight happen.

After trainer Glenn Rushton accused Horn of eating pizzas in the lead-up to his loss to Zerafa in August, the boxer’s team decided to overhaul his diet by bringing in nutritionist Sav Manolis and private chef Daniel Hernandez.

Horn underwent genetic tests and blood samples, and the pair worked out which foods did and didn’t agree with the fighter and immediately eliminated white rice and pasta from his diet.

Instead, Horn was delivered meals each day that included wild-caught Australian octopus, organic black rice and pulse pasta.

Horn with his nutritionist Sav Manoli and personal chef Dan Hernandez. Photo: Liam Kidston

“I had a lot more energy and a lot more fuel for training, which is what I needed,” Horn told The Sunday Telegraph.

“I probably didn’t have that the first time, I wasn’t putting in the right fuel for the body.

“I had a personal chef doing my meals and I had a nutritionist telling him what to prepare, so I was nice and fuelled and ready for battle.

“I know how important food is, but sometimes you can have a forgetful stage and have a bit of junk food here and there. I just made sure that I was on point this time.

“I was able to train a lot harder for this one.

“I knew what I had to do, I needed better movement for this fight and I was able to keep that up the whole way through the rounds.

“The food’s not too bad, they make it pretty tasty and I think that’s what we’ll probably do going forward with other fights.”

Taking his body seriously meant a serious fight. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Had Horn lost the bout, any mooted fight against the undefeated Tszyu could not generate nearly as much as it will now that both are undoubtedly the top two super-welterweights in Australia.

The $30,000 cost of the nine-week meal service and renewed training program Horn underwent was a wise investment by his promoter Dean Lonergan, and Horn could earn up to $2 million for the fight against Tszyu if it happens.

Chef Hernandez revealed that each meal is weighed to the gram, and even the method of cooking is crucial.

It’ll all be worth it if the Tszyu fight is locked in. Photo: Brett Hemmings/Getty Images

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“With the chicken, I never grilled or barbecued it, only sous vide (vacuum-sealed), so it doesn’t stress the muscle and retains all the nutrients and moisture,” Hernandez said.

“I don’t like using Australian salmon or barramundi because most of it is farmed, and I didn’t want him getting a reaction, so we cut that and used wild-caught tuna, snapper and octopus from Western Australia.

“This is all tailored to Jeff after his genetic and blood testing, other people can’t just use this same diet and expect it to work for them.

“Lamb has fat, whereas octopus is just muscle, so I didn’t want to add that extra fat to his meals because then the body starts craving fats from butter and other foods.

“I only used grape oil and rice oil to keep everything as clean as possible.”

Originally published as Jeff Horn’s $30,000 recipe for multimillion-dollar payday against Tim Tszyu