Jeff Horn vs. Terence Crawford: Australian champion takes his own chef to Las Vegas to avoid ‘meat contamination’
JEFF Horn has flown a personal chef to Las Vegas to cook all of his meals this week in a bid to avoid falling into the same trap that has claimed several high-profile boxers.
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JEFF Horn has flown a personal chef to Las Vegas to cook all of his meals this week to avoid any possible “meat contamination” that other boxers have claimed after positive drugs tests.
The Australian world champion is taking every precaution to avoid any drugs controversy or illness before he defends his WBO welterweight title against Terence Crawford next Sunday (AEST).
Horn’s private cook has secured an area of the MGM Grand Casino’s kitchen to prepare all of his meals this week, and will meticulously check every ingredient that will end up in the boxer’s system.
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Recently, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, one of the highest profile boxers in the world, was banned for six months after testing positive twice to clenbuterol.
Alvarez said the positive reading was a result of eating contaminated beef in Mexico.
Other boxers to use the contaminated meat defence include former world champions Erik Morales and Francisco Vargas, and Australia’s former heavyweight champion Lucas Browne.
Horn has already been drug-tested twice in the lead-up to this fight, providing urine and blood samples to officials.
Despite Las Vegas boasting some of the finest restaurants in the world, including three Michelin starred Joel Robouchon inside the MGM where Horn is staying, his promoter Dean Lonergan said his fighter would refrain from indulging until after his bout.
“There have been a number of supposed claims in the last two or three years where people have tested positive to drugs in boxing and blamed meat contamination,” Lonergan told the Sunday Telegraph.
“I doubt very much whether that was the case, but nevertheless, there is no way we are going to be putting ourselves in a position where that could happen.
“Jeff has his own personal chef with him in Las Vegas now, who has been given his own area of the kitchen inside the MGM Grand, and will be preparing every meal to strict specifications.
“Jeff will stick to a very, very strict diet until the fight. After that, I expect he’ll probably eat three chocolate cakes.”
Horn’s personalised meal plan follows the same strategy used by Manny Pacquiao in Australia last year before he fought Horn in Brisbane.
Pacquiao flew two of his private chefs from the Philippines to cook all meals for himself and his huge entourage.
Pacquiao lost his WBO welterweight title to Horn, who has since defended his belt against Britain’s Gary Corcoran.
Crawford is another level up, considered among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and in the prime of his undefeated career.
The American is heavily favoured to defeat Horn, although the Brisbane native is confident of shocking the world again as he did against Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium last year.
Horn flew to Vegas earlier this week and has held training sessions in the Top Rank Boxing gymnasium and runs at The Grand Canyon despite temperatures soaring to 41 degrees in the desert town.
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