Zerafa to carry Aboriginal flag against Horn as tribute to Ritchie

Michael Zerafa says he has gone through physical, emotional and financial pain as he prepares to honour his late mate Dwight Ritchie ahead of his bitter grudge rematch with Jeff Horn.

Boxer Michael Zerafa. Pic: Michael Klein

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Michael Zerafa will carry the Aboriginal flag into the ring against Jeff Horn in Brisbane next week as a tribute to the friend who died sparring with him, and as a reminder of the pain he has gone through preparing for this bitter grudge rematch.

Dwight Ritchie, a former Australian champion and Yorta Yorta man, died of a suspected heart attack after collapsing in the sixth round of his sparring session with Zerafa in Melbourne last month.

Zerafa said he could not have gone ahead with the Horn fight at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on December 18 had it not been for the support of Ritchie’s family who immediately encouraged him to “win it for Dwight.’’

Ritchie, 27, a father of three, had been Zerafa’s friend and training partner for more than a decade.

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Jeff Horn (left) and Michael Zerafa are ready to rumble. Picture: Annette Dew

For Zerafa’s coach Sam Labruna, the Aboriginal flag will also symbolise the struggles that Zerafa, whose family is Maltese, has overcome since knocking Horn out in Bendigo on August 31.

Labruna says he has “no respect at all’’ for Horn and trainer Glenn Rushton because they enforced a rematch clause for next week’s fight, denying Zerafa a world title shot against Ryota Murata in Japan and hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra earnings.

“Michael has been through so much physically, emotionally and financially going into this fight,’’ Labruna said. “Waving that flag for Dwight will remind him of all that.’’

While Zerafa is fired up to end Horn’s career, Labruna is also fighting a personal battle with Rushton over who is the superior trainer.

A weary Jeff Horn rests during training in Brisbane. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

“I can tell you the grudge is 100 per cent for real,’’ Labruna said.

“What hurt the most was that we approached Glenn to ask for the opportunity to fight Murata by delaying the rematch with Jeff. Just let the kid get a home, just let Michael get something out of the sport because we all know how tough it is to make money in boxing, especially in this country.

Michael Zerafa rocks Jeff Horn at the Bendigo Stadium. (AAP Image/Michael Dodge)

“Instead Jeff and Glenn denied Michael a house because they wanted the rematch straight away. They could have waited until next year and we would gladly have fought Jeff again with Michael having banked the world title payday.’’

Labruna said while Horn had made “$2.2 million to fight (Anthony) Mundine, $2 million to fight Terence Crawford ¬ if we don’t beat Jeff this time Michael has fought Horn twice for a maximum of $160,000. Jeff is getting paid a lot more than that.’’

Horn is upset that Zerafa talks about him “like I’m dirt’’.

“Zerafa is trying to bully me,’’ Horn said.

“He’s very confident that he can beat me again and I have to knock that confidence out of him early.

“I was surprised by what he did to me in Bendigo but like I showed in beating Manny Pacquiao you can never underestimate the underdog.

“I’m the underdog for this fight and I like it when the odds are stacked against me. It makes me fight harder.’’