Never-say-die boxer Jeff Horn’s fierce will to succeed

Jeff Horn has a dominating ring presence, but it’s a stiff upper lip that scares his opponents most.

Boxer Jeff Horn the day after defeating Michael Zerafa in Brisbane. Picture: Glenn Hunt

Jeff Horn has a punishing right hand and is a dominating presence in the ring, but it is the champion boxer’s stiff upper lip that makes him such a fearsome and uncompromising force.

“It’s probably so stiff because I’ve had more than 100 stitches run through it by now,” the 31-year-old fighter laughed with trademark modesty.

Behind that disarming smile, Horn has always harboured a fierce determination to succeed; to keep getting up irrespective of what is thrown at him or how many times he is knocked down.

It is a mentality that he credits in part to his parents, who fought hard to give him a good start at life, and also his nationality. “It’s a big part of being Australian,” he said. “We’re a really tough and competitive country, particularly when it comes to sport, and you can see that globally, we’re always punching above our weight.

“Whenever we compete we want to make sure we give it everything we’ve got. It’s not just about winning, it’s about doing our best no matter what. That’s something really important to me, and I think most Australians.”

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The former teacher, who took up boxing as a teen to fend off schoolyard bullies, needed to draw on that inner grit and resilience last year, after being battered into a ninth round loss by Michael Zerafa during a title fight in Bendigo on August 31.

Critics said his career was all but over. Undeterred, the Brisbane father-of-two spent the next three months in isolation; his world revolving around his ­beloved young family — wife, Jo, and daughters, Isabelle and Charlotte — and training.

Early in the ninth round of his rematch against Zerafa, on ­December 18, Horn was again on the ropes, before that devastating right hand sent his opponent crashing to the canvas — a pointed message to anyone who ever doubted him. He claimed victory by majority decision, and the ­regional WBA and WBO middleweight titles along with it, a round later. “It was a big comeback,” he said. “It’s definitely up there in my top three best fights.”

Horn said being nominated for The Australian’s Australian of the Year was a huge honour and he hoped he could help inspire ­future generations to adhere to the values that made the country great. “We’re a nation of battlers who stick by our mates and give each other a fair go. It’s what I love about being Australian.”

Prominent Australians can be nominated by filling out the coupon below, or sending emails to [e-mail] or going to our website, theaustralian.com.au. Nominations close on Thursday, January 23.