Jeff Horn’s warning for Tim Tszyu before super fight in Townsville
Jeff Horn has warned Tim Tszyu he is now fitter than when he conquered Manny Pacquiao and is ready to give the rising star the shock of his life in their showdown in Townsville.
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Jeff Horn has warned Tim Tszyu he is now fitter than when he conquered Manny Pacquiao and has delivered the ultimate uppercut by declaring the son of Kostya will never be as good as his father.
Horn became the pugilistic darling of Australian sports fans when he punched his way into a nation’s hearts with his epic triumph over the ‘Pacman’ three years ago in the Suncorp slugfest that made him a world champion.
But in the build-up to his blockbuster against Tszyu in Townsville on Wednesday night, Horn has a formidable message for his cocky rival – he is a superior athlete to the 2017 version of The Hornet who stung Manny.
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“I can honestly say I am in better shape now than I was when I fought Manny Pacquiao,” Horn said. “I am fit and strong and I have trained my ass off for this fight.
“I worked really hard for that fight against Manny but I didn’t do things in the smartest way.
“I believe I have trained smarter this time and that has left me in a better state all-round.
“I have gotten stronger in a scientific way. If you look at me, I look stronger and I can feel it. All the sports science is paying off.”
The forensic approach has been driven by the latest addition to his team, strength-and-conditioning coach Chris Muckert. The 39-year-old Muckert played 50 NRL games for the Cowboys and Parramatta and understands the athletic-performance strands required to compete in a professional sporting arena.
In a boxing realm where old-school methods stand the test of time, Muckert has helped Horn explore new-age strategies.
Horn trains with a heart-rate monitor. He has begun taking ice baths to reduce inflammation and expedite recovery. He has turned to a massage gun for muscle treatment and has even embraced a breathing methodology devised by Dutch philosopher and endurance athlete Wim Hof.
Known as ‘The Iceman’, Hof has an uncanny ability to endure extremely cold temperatures. Hof has stood submerged in ice for one hour and 53 minutes, steeling his mind by using a specific set of breathing exercises to master his nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems.
Horn has taken up the Wim Hof method to add another mental edge in his quest to inflict the first defeat of Tszyu’s 15-fight professional career.
“I’m in a much better headspace,” Horn said. “Chris has been an outstanding addition to Glenn Rushton (trainer). I trust in my team and I’m really confident.
“Chris is getting me onto some Wim Hof breathing. It’s a 20-to-30 minute exercise. As a team, we do the breathing exercises together in the gym. You get pins and needles and finish feeling refreshed and in a relaxed state.
“Physically and mentally, I’m at my peak. I will be ready to rumble this Wednesday night.”
Horn rolls his eyes when he listens to the trash-talk from starry-eyed contenders such as Tszyu and his last opponent Michael Zerafa, contently knowing they have yet to climb the world-championship summit he has scaled.
Recently Tszyu clipped Horn, saying “it’s my time”. Horn yawned. Zerafa said the same thing. After his balls-up in Bendigo last year, losing to Zerafa, Horn got serious and buried the ‘Pretty Boy’ in their bloody Brisbane rematch eight months ago.
At 25, Tszyu (15-0, 11KO) believes Horn, 32, is on his last legs. The son of Kostya says Horn (20-2-1, 13KO) is too busy worrying about his wife and two kids.
“That’s rubbish,” he said. “To say I’m old and tired ... the reality is I’m 32 not 42 so I still have several years at the top level.
“He thinks me having a family makes me soft but that’s how little he knows about life.
“Anyone who has kids knows having children makes you mentally stronger. I don’t fight for myself anymore. I fight for my loved ones and he doesn’t know the love you can have for your child and that’s what I’m fighting for.”
It’s a burning desire shaped by his turbulent teenage years, when Horn fought another beast – suicidal thoughts – after homophobic schoolyard slurs.
“Rock bottom for me in my life was my teenage years,” he said. “When I was 14, I went through a lot of dark thoughts. My peers at school would put me down all the time.
“I was always called gay. I wouldn’t let those things worry me today, but when you are that young and you are trying to find your identity and your confidence in the world, it’s soul destroying.
“I was constantly targeted. I know a lot of kids can relate to that bullying.
“I was skinny. I was quiet. I looked weak and if I did fight back, the bullies thought they would bash me easily.
“But people underestimate the competitiveness I have inside me.
“They don’t realise what comes out of me and how much I can push through when I am in the ring under siege.”
Now Tszyu, says Horn, is about to confront ring pressure like never before.
“Tim will get a shock,” he said. “It’s either sink or swim for Tim and we’re going to find out how he goes in the deep end on Wednesday night when we get into the ring.
“I don’t think he will ever be as good as his father.
“He is not going to reach the levels his dad did. Kostya was an extraordinary fighter, a special breed, and maybe some of his DNA has been passed onto Tim Tszyu, but he hasn’t got all of his ability.
“We will see how he handles the pressure I am going to pour on him.
“Tim will be shocked by the power of my punches and my awkward movements, he won’t be able to keep up with that.
“This is where his big speed-bump happens.”