Horn to get back in ring

Rematch with Zerafa on

BOXING: Former world champion Jeff Horn says he is more motivated than ever to face Michael Zerafa after copping flak from his opponent’s camp for demanding a rematch.

Horn yesterday announced he would invoke a contract clause and fight Zerafa again, most likely in December, after suffering a shock loss in their middleweight bout in Bendigo in August.

But Zerafa’s trainer Sam Labruna wasn’t happy, accusing Horn of being “un- Australian” for ordering the rematch and denying his charge a bigmoney world title fight in Japan.

Labruna claimed on social media they had pleaded with Horn’s camp to let Zerafa take up a lucrative WBA middleweight title fight with Ryota Murata, only to be knocked back.

“We meet with Team Horn and plead with him to let Michael Zerafa take this money and opportunity so Michael can get a deposit for a home,” Labruna posted on Facebook.

“Jeff Horn comes back and denies Michael Zerafa the opportunity and enforces a rematch – how very unAustralian is that?”

Horn said he was offered big-money fights in the US but wanted a rematch, saying it was the only bout that would motivate him to get back into the ring.

“I did consider giving him that opportunity,” Horn said.

“He has a world title on the board and it was a hard one for me.

“But it was like ‘can I get motivated to fight one of these other guys in the US?’ which they offered me to step out of the way but I just couldn’t get myself motivated to do that.

“I need to fight Zerafa again. I really needed to get this back and have the slate clean.”

Horn said he was now more pumped up than ever to face Zerafa after reading the social media criticism.

“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 was in the contract.”

Horn said he underestimated Zerafa in August – a mistake he won’t be making again.

“I was a little bit guilty of cutting corners the last time, nothing massive but little things that made me mentally underestimate Zerafa and he proved his point on the night so good on him,” he said.

“It (the August loss) was embarrassing.”