Michael Zerafa knocks out Jeff Horn in boxing shocker in Bendigo

Michael Zerafa destroyed Jeff Horn in a brutal and bloody boxing bout after which Horn admitted he "fought like crap".

Michael Zerafa and Jeff Horn after weighing in.

Michael Zerafa has shocked Jeff Horn in a bloody and brutal battle in Bendigo.

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FIGHT CARD

Michael Zerafa defeated Jeff Horn (middleweight) via ninth round knockout

Brock Jarvis defeated Ernesto Saulong for the vacant WBA Oceania Super Bantamweight title by unanimous decision

Joseph Goodall vs Christian Ndzie Tsoye (heavyweight) - draw

Issac Hardman defeated Mitchell Whitelaw (light heavyweight) via majority decision

Andrew Hunt vs Ankush Hooda (super welterweight) - draw

Shannon O’Connell defeated Bianca Elmir (super bantamweight) via split decision

Updates

11:32 pm August 31, 2019 Highlight

Michael Zerafa knocks out Jeff Horn

Michael Zerafa destroyed Jeff Horn in an upset for the ages in Bendigo as he beat the Queenslander by KO in the ninth round.

Zerafa rocked Horn with several big right hands throughout the fight but in the ninth he hit Horn with a flurry of punches in the corner to send the former welterweight world champ to the canvas.

Even after that the fight was allowed to continue as Horn took way more punishment than some thought should have been allowed.

Zerafa pummelled Horn in a win commentators said would change the 27-year-old's life.

"Life changing night of action for Zerafa," one commentator said.

Horn copped it all night and while the first round was a feeling out process Zerafa begun the onslaught in earnest in the second when he knocked Horn to the canvas.

Horn hit back hard in the third round rocking Zerafa with multiple left hands but that was the best he had to offer as Zerafa continued to dominate the fight with Horn only grabbing a couple of rounds.

Unfortunately for Horn he was also cut badly in the third round as the pair clashed heads and a massive cut opened up on his cheek.

When he won the fight Zerafa was immediately emotional and in tears, hugging his team and sinking to his knees.

"I can't thank you enough for giving me this opportunity," a teary Zerafa told Horn.

"I knew 10 weeks ago I could win this fight. I knew I could beat Jeff Horn."

Asked if he wanted to fight rising Australian star Tim Tszyu, Zerafa scoffed.

"Tim Tszyu… please," he said.

Horn paid tribute to Zerafa's toughness and lamented his own poor performance.

"I'm just a bit shattered," Horn said.

"I have had some ups and downs, this is definitely a down.

"I just felt really sluggish, it is really annoying using that as an excuse but I just felt like crap going into it.

"Well done to Michael, he outboxed me, landed those beautiful shots but I don't feel like it was the best me in there tonight.

"I felt a little bit off, heavy, sluggish, I don't know if it was something I did, something I ate, just wasn't the right me.

"I fought like crap just then but well done to Michael because he fought brilliantly."

10:34 pm August 31, 2019 Highlight

'Hugely impressive' Jarvis wins title

Brock Jarvis may have been dominated in the opening round by Ernesto Saulong but that was the only time the Filipino looked the winner.

Jarvis turned the tables in the second round when he cut Saulong open above the left eye.

From there he continued to dominate the fight, ripping Saulong with body shots throughout to slow the former world title challenger right down.

Early in the 10th it seemed Jarvis might have knocked out Saulong but the Filipino remained tough to stick out the fight until the end.

The fight was scored for Jarvis 100-90, 99,91, 98-92 to win by unanimous decision.

6:49 pm August 31, 2019 Highlight

Horn ring girls slam 'discriminatory' axing

Promoters of Saturday night’s Battle of Bendigo boxing show featuring Jeff Horn and Michael Zerafa replaced ring card women with men, after coming under fire from local councillors and women’s advocate groups.

City of Greater Bendigo councillors Yvonne Wrigglesworth and Jennifer Alden were critical of the between-rounds custom which has been part of boxing for decades.

Wrigglesworth said women were being objectified in events like The Battle of Bendigo and Alden said stereotypes of this nature was not respectful of women.

Event co-promoter Dean Lonergan said he was disappointed with the criticism and had replaced the three women with males, who would be referred to as ‘fight progress managers’.
He said the three women would still be paid and their replacements had been found by his co-promoter, Bendigo resident and Australian 1996 Olympic boxing representative Lynden Hosking.
“Ironically, four women will be fighting tonight and wearing less clothing than those women I have now had to replace with men in response to these protests,” Lonergan said.
“As a result of their outcry and concern from sponsors about these uninformed media comments from an organisation that have never raised their concerns with me, shows their agenda is more about headlines than equal opportunity.”

“They have denied three women the opportunity to do the job they applied for. They are intelligent women. Their freedom to work in an environment that they choose and enjoy doing has been completely undermined. These protests are an attack on them.”

One of the replaced women, Kalista Thomas, objected to some of the criticism.

“To undermine my work as a ring card and call it sexualised I feel is absolutely discriminatory,” Thomas said.
“Never in my time in the ring or at the fights have I been made to feel less worthy for being there.”
– AAP