KEY TO HORN’S CORNER

THE man putting the muscle into Jeff Horn’s bid to shock the boxing world against Manny Pacquiao on July 2 came to Australia from Korea 20 years ago with a new wife and not much else.

But grateful for every opportunity his new country has given him, renowned fitness coach Dundee Kim is now doing his best to help Horn create Australian sporting history at Suncorp Stadium.

Horn faces the fight of his life against one of history’s greatest boxers but says Dundee has him armed and dangerous.

“Dundee has been a key figure in my pro career,’’ Horn said.

“Glenn Rushton is my boxing coach and manager and Dundee helps Glenn with all my strength and conditioning work.

“He does a lot of punching work with me on what we call noodles ( foam rollers) which are great because they don’t hurt my hands. At the moment we’re working on hand speed and short punches which will be crucial against Pacquiao. We do a lot of weight training, too, and I feel really strong.’’

Dundee was born Deuk- Rae Kim 48 years ago but after arriving in Australia on a student visa, decided he needed a proper Aussie name if he was going to be a proper Aussie.

“I chose ‘ Dundee’ after the movie Crocodile Dundee,’’ he said.

“When I was a boy my life was very poor and I wasn’t very confident. Like Jeff, I was bullied at school and I took up boxing to defend myself.’’

Not only did Dundee build up his body but he built up his mind too, as a soldier in the South Korean army and then as a migrant to Australia, eager to learn and work. He has a popular gym in Brisbane’s West End and is branching out with new gyms at Yeronga and Bowen Hills.

The father of three became the Regional Director of International Relations at James Cook University and as well as a wicked left hook, he speaks four languages and has a Master of Business Administration degree.