From nerd to conqueror
WORLD welterweight boxing champion Jeff Horn last night won the highest honour in Australian sport — The Don award — to complete an astonishing journey that began with a bruised ego and a battered old Volvo.
The mild-mannered former Brisbane schoolteacher, who pushed himself to the absolute limits of physical and mental exhaustion to outpoint alltime boxing great Manny Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium on July 2, now joins such Australian heroes as Don Bradman, Dawn Fraser, Cadel Evans and Ian Thorpe in the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame.
“This is a dream come true,’’ said Horn, 29 after being presented with the award at Crown Palladium.
“The year I’ve had has been the most incredible time you could imagine. My wife, Jo, and I still shake our heads. When she met me I was a school nerd getting picked on by bullies. Now I’m a world boxing champion, about to become a dad and the winner of this incredible The Don award. Thanks everyone for supporting me.’’
Horn, who picked up more than $1 million by beating Pacquiao, will receive another $1 million for his first defence of the World Boxing Organisation title set for December 15 in Brisbane against tough Englishman Gary Corcoran.
“Eleven years ago I drove my old Volvo down to Glenn Rushton’s home gym in Stretton,” Horn said. “I didn’t follow boxing at all then and I certainly had no plans on becoming a fighter. I’d been picked on a lot at school and I just wanted to learn some self-defence and gain a bit of confidence. I had just started going out with Jo and I wanted to be able to get us out of trouble if someone picked on me.
“Glenn not only taught me self-defence but he taught me to believe in myself. Eleven years later he taught me how to beat Manny Pacquiao, one of the greatest fighters of all time.’’
Before Horn had even had a proper boxing fight, Rushton told him in 2008 he could become an Olympian in four years. Horn was 20 at the time and sceptical of his own potential but Rushton made him a believer.
Horn became the best performed Australian Olympic boxer in 20 years, making the quarter-finals at London 2012.
Five years later Rushton told Horn he could grind down Manny Pacquiao in a slugfest that would break all attendance records in Australia.
Once again Rushton was right, though Horn had to survive some rocky moments to emerge triumphant before more than 51,000 fans at Suncorp and more than 500 million watching the telecast worldwide.