Jeff Horn ignores family’s plea, announces next opponent

Brave or stupid? Jeff Horn has revealed his next opponent, despite pleas from his wife he retire from boxing after he was knocked out.

Jeff Horn has responded to the worst beating of his career by signing up to face the same opponent again.

The Aussie boxing star announced on Thursday he would be exercising the rematch clause in his contract with Michael Zerafa despite being pummelled in a ninth-round stoppage in their first encounter.

Horn was knocked about so badly his wife asked him to give the sport away and his trainer, Glenn Rushton, faced calls he should be axed for not stopping the action earlier.

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In a courageous move, they want to run it back.

“This came down to one thing, and it was real simple,” Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan said. “The overwhelming question was, ‘what was the fight that was gonna motivate Jeff the most?’ And, ultimately, that was Jeff’s question to answer, and this is the answer that he came up with.”

The news has not gone down well with Zerafa with the middleweight coming out swinging against Horn.

After first meeting Melbourne-born Zerafa (27-3) in Bendigo, Horn (19-2-1) wants the rematch in his hometown of Brisbane, preferably before the end of the year.

“I’m hungry for the win on this one. I hate losing. I really feel like I can do better than I did last time, and I’m willing to prove it,” he said.

“Retiring was definitely something I was considering,’’ Horn added. “But I need to clean this slate.

“I thought to myself and imagined myself in five years time and thought I need to get this back. I can’t go out like this.

“The family were probably more on the way of, ‘don’t take the rematch; you should be happy with what you’ve done, take another fight’. But I needed to have this fight, and I think this fight is the one that motivates me to get back in there.”

Michael Zerafa after winning last time.

A report suggested Zerafa — who has little to gain from the rematch — isn’t overly excited about the news.

Michael Zerafa camp not happy with rematch. They were chasing big pay day in Japan. @abcgrandstand @abcnews

— Michael Rennie (@mf_rennie) October 3, 2019

He said he hated Horn for denying him a title shot and big pay day.

“Now it’s just become personal, because he stopped me from making more money with better fights,” Zerafa told Sporting News website.

“Now it’s his funeral.

“It’s just made me hate Jeff Horn. Now I see his true colours. I will end Jeff Horn’s career this time.”

Horn said the criticism would only motivate him.

“It does make it easier to get into the gym when they are calling me all these names,” he said.

“His team have had a lot to say and have been pretty harsh with their words but it (re-match) was in the contract.

“And he is always going to get big opportunities if he beats me in the re-match - but he has got to beat the real me the second time.”

Jeff Horn hits the deck against Michael Zerafa. (AAP Image/Michael Dodge)

Horn admitted he underestimated Zerafa in August - a mistake he won’t be making again.

“I was a little bit guilty of cutting corners (at training) the last time, little things that made me mentally underestimate Zerafa,” he said. “(But) it was embarrassing (August loss). I definitely didn’t fight the way I normally do.

“Now I have a hunger ... to get that win back and a world title after that would be great.”

The re-match’s date and venue are yet to be determined.

Horn hoped to fight at super welterweight but said he would still be confident if Zerafa insisted on staying at middleweight.

— with AAP