Zerafa: Ritchie’s death won’t stop me from ending Horn’s career

On Monday, Michael Zerafa will attend the funeral of his friend Dwight Ritchie, but as he came face-to-face with Jeff Horn, Zerafa said “the grieving part’’ was done and he would end Horn’s career.

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MICHAEL Zerafa says he has fully recovered from the shock at seeing his close mate die in their sparring session two weeks ago and is “completely confident’’ he will end Jeff Horn’s career in Brisbane next month.

Zerafa handed Horn the worst beating of his life in Bendigo on August 31 and says the former world welterweight champion has no chance of winning the rematch.

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On Monday, Zerafa will attend the funeral of his friend Dwight Ritchie, a 27-year-old father of three and former Australian champion, at Shepparton’s Pine Lodge Lawn Cemetery. Ritchie collapsed in the sixth round of their sparring session in Melbourne two weeks ago and subsequently died.

But as he came face-to-face with Horn at the Lang Park PCYC yesterday, Zerafa said “the grieving part’’ was done and that he was “totally switched on because now it’s fight time.’’

“I’m so confident for this fight and when I’m confident I can’t be beaten,’’ he said.

“This will end faster than the first fight. December 18 will be Jeff Horn’s last fight. Mark my words. He’s done great things for the sport but he will retire after December 18 and he can then enjoy his life with his family.’’

A focused Michael Zerafa yesterday at the Lang Park PCYC. Picture: Peter Wallis

Zerafa said Ritchie’s death stunned him but had “no impact at all’’ on his training.

“I was back in the gym the next day,’’ he said.

“Me and Dwight were close; we shared the boxing ring many times from the time we were 13 or 14 years old. But my focus on beating Jeff again on December 18 never wavered. This is a big fight, a must-win for me and we never paused in our preparation. I’m training harder than ever.’’

Zerafa, 27, said “love and support’’ from Ritchie’s family had helped him cope with “one of the hardest things’’ he had ever faced in his career.

Horn, 31, said he was “devastated’’ for Ritchie’s family and ``scared’’ by the news of his passing from a suspected heart attack.

``I know it wasn’t Michael’s fault,’’ he said, “and I’m glad to be fighting him again. I’ve never lost in Brisbane and I don’t plan on changing that.’’

Jeff Horn says he’s training harder than ever for the big fight. Picture: Peter Wallis

While Horn said he would be fitter than ever for the fight and was training as much as five hours a day, Zerafa’s co-trainer, the world No. 4 light-heavyweight Blake Caparello, fired a huge broadside into the Horn camp by saying what Horn really needed was improved skills rather than greater fitness.

Zerafa stopped Horn in nine rounds at Bendigo and Caparello says Horn will fall even sooner this time.

Jeff Horn (left) and Michael Zerafa brawl during the Battle of Bendigo on August 31. (AAP Image/Michael Dodge)

“Jeff’s only chance to beat Michael was in the first fight,’’ Caparello said. “This second fight, now that Michael has his measure, he will be impossible to stop. Michael is absolutely flying.’’

Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton said Horn was again finding the “mongrel’’ that powered him to his astonishing victory over world welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao before more than 51,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium in 2017.

Dwight Ritchie will be buried in Shepparton on Monday.

But Caparello said he could search for as long as he liked and upped the mind games by attacking the Horn camp’s training methods.

“Boxing isn’t just about fitness or determination,’’ Caparello said. “Jeff can’t fix the fundamentals overnight. Jeff would learn more training with our team in a week than he has in his whole career with Glenn.’’