Horn vs Zerafa II: Michael Zerafa says he has more agility, speed, reach and youth than Horn
Michael Zerafa says he will punish Jeff Horn for being a ‘sook’ and robbing the Melbourne boxer of a lucrative world title shot against Japan’s world middleweight king Ryota Murata.
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Michael Zerafa is a hot favourite to punch Brisbane hero Jeff Horn into retirement on Wednesday night. A fired-up Zerafa opened up to GRANTLEE KIEZA
You’re fighting Jeff Horn on Wednesday night but you’d much rather be fighting the world middleweight champion Ryota Murata on the weekend for a much bigger purse. You must be angry?
It’s disappointing. We were negotiating to fight Murata on December 23. We had green lights to go ahead for big money. Instead I’m getting more than a $600,000 pay cut because Jeff and his team insisted on a rematch. He’s a sook. We went out there and beat Jeff fair and square (in Bendigo on August 31) and then went looking for the world title. We were making the deal and Jeff put a pause to that by being a sook and enforcing a rematch clause. He could have waited a couple of months until I got my title chance. I would have fought him again in the new year. Us fighters have to stick together. But he’s denied me and Australia a world title fight.
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You saw Murata as your big chance on the world stage?
Jeff knows how hard it is for fighters in Australia to make money. He’s doing okay because he’s made plenty. If I was getting big money to fight him I wouldn’t mind. Give me the money he was offering Pacquiao to fight in Brisbane and I’d fight Jeff Horn every day of the week. Now I want to beat him more than anything.
Your trainer Sam Labruna says that Horn is a flawed fighter, that his balance is bad, his defence is poor, he doesn’t jab and when he comes forward he ducks his head down all the time. You’ve said you ``can’t polish a turd’’ when it comes to his skill level but are you worried that he will be a much more motivated and dangerous opponent than he was in Bendigo?
Jeff’s Jeff. I’m not too concerned about what he’s going to bring for this fight. He says he’s going to be a different fighter but he’s fought the same for 21 fights. He might be a bit stronger and a bit fitter this time but he still makes the same mistakes.
Horn and his trainer Glenn Rushton say he will be stronger, fitter and better prepared than for the first fight. Are you expecting him to a tougher opponent?
Oh, a hundred per cent. We’re ready for the best Jeff Horn. Better than he was at Bendigo but I will be there at my best too. Deep down he knows he can’t beat me.
You say you are much more skilful then him?
Jeff’s done great things for the sport and done things that I want to achieve. He’s been a world champion. He’s a great father and a great fighter but when it comes down to the boxing game, I’m more agile, I’m stronger, I’m faster, I’ve got reach, youth, everything in my favour. That alone doesn’t make me a better boxer because you can have those things and still not be able to perform. I feel I use my attributes much better and I have the edge. I’m a natural middleweight (72.5kg). He’s a welterweight (66.7kg). That’s a big difference.
How did you start boxing?
Both my parents are Maltese, my father was born overseas, my mum was born here. I grew up on the northside of Melbourne at Craigieburn. I was a chubby kid; wasn’t good at much; wasn’t good at school. For me hard work was my thing. Watching boxing growing up I was in love with the sport.
When did you decide that you wanted to make boxing a career?
I said to my parents when I was four or five years old that I was going to be a world champion. I just toughed it out working towards it, training two and three times a day. I’ve had some bad times in my career. It’s been tough but I keep moving forward.
When did you first go to the gym?
I did boxing with the local footy club so I would have been about 10 years old. One of my early trainers was a good Victorian fighter named Darren Miller who came to the footy club to teach us boxing. I didn’t think I had any idea what I was doing but he said I was a natural. He said I had a good eye, good co-ordination, that I was fast and dedicated. Dedication and belief are so important. I had my first amateur fight when I was 14 or 15 so I’ve been in the sport a while. I turned pro after losing to (Queensland Olympian) Damien Hooper (in the 2010 Commonwealth Games trials).
Were there fighters who really inspired you on your journey?
My all-time favourite was Roy Jones Jr. I liked him and out of the ring – he was just an absolute legend. Everyone in my area would watch local footy or AFL but I was like that with boxing. Whenever there was a big fight on I would always tune in. I knew one day I would be world champion. I visualized it. I knew that winning one big fight could change my family’s life.
You’ve been with trainer Sam Labruna for the last year and a half. How has he lifted your game?
I don’t want to take anything away from my previous trainers but if I had gone to Sam years ago I’d be a very dangerous man. I’ve got a great crew behind me. Sam is a mentor, a father figure to us all at the gym and he’s a great trainer. I really gel with him. What we do in the gym other fighters and other teams don’t do and I know that for a fact because I’ve fought around the world; I’ve trained at the Wild Card Gym in America and in Russia, England.
Jeff Fenech told me that your confidence is through the roof and that it will be almost impossible for Horn to beat you now after you knocked him out in Bendigo?
The first fight I believed I could win and I did. I never look past anyone who is in my way. We’ve got a tough, hungry Jeff Horn in front of us. We’re taking it round by round and we have a good game plan. We’ve got things up our sleeve. I’m definitely not over confident but this is my time.
Your friend Dwight Ritchie died sparring you on November 9. Did you think of pulling out of the fight?
If it had not been for the love and support of Dwight’s family I couldn’t have gone through with the fight. It was a terrible accident. We were good friends and sparred together for many years. I’ll carry the Aboriginal flag into the ring to honour him. It’s something I can do to acknowledge their love and support towards me. I went to Dwight’s funeral in Shepparton and it was a very emotional day. Australian boxing lost a great fighter and a great man.
If you beat Horn, will you try to secure a fight with Murata again? Or will you look at Australian guys such as Tim Tszyu or Dennis Hogan?
We’re not looking at anything past Jeff Horn. December 18 is all I’m focused on. After that it’s Christmas.
You’ve been quoted as saying Tim Tszyu is running scared of you?
I never said that. I said we had approached Tim previously and that there were negotiations but they hadn’t gone through. It’s a fight that Australia would want to see and a fight that we would want moving forward. But like I said Jeff Horn is all I’m worried about until after December 18.
There’s a lot of bad blood in this fight. Do you hate Jeff Horn?
I don’t hate him as a person. But it’s my time. For ages it’s been all Horn, Horn, Horn. But I’m No. 1. I’m the champion. It should be all about Zerafa and there’s only one way to prove that.
Originally published as Horn vs Zerafa II: Michael Zerafa says he has more agility, speed, reach and youth than Horn