Two months of hell has Horn at peak readiness

JEFF Horn says a gruelling 10week strength and conditioning program has him primed to cope with a relentless barrage of punches from English slugger Gary Corcoran at the Brisbane Convention Centre on Wednesday night.

Under the supervision of his coach Glenn Rushton, Horn has undergone two and a half months of twice-weekly 90minute sessions with fitness guru Dundee Kim, a key figure in Horn’s win over Manny Pacquiao in July, which shocked the sporting world.

Corcoran’s wild style means it has been a very different training routine to the schedule that saw Horn take a pulsating points decision over Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium on July 2.

Horn had his last strength and conditioning session with Kim on Friday and his last skills session with boxing coach Rushton yesterday.

Over the past week Horn, a chronic snorer, has also been using a sleep apnoea device to push low-pressure air through a pump attached to a face mask while he sleeps.

“I feel the sleep mask has helped me rest a lot more after the tough training,” Horn said.

“I’ve done the sleep apnoea tests. The results haven’t come back yet but I’ve been using the mask anyway.

“Until the last week or so I was waking up tired and sore but wearing the mask has made me feel a lot more refreshed and made me able to train harder.

“My strength and explosive power are going to be vital in this fight because I’m going to be trying to catch Gary with a big shot as he attacks.”

Horn said Corcoran had “a very different style to Pacquiao”, requiring a different training program.

“Pacquiao was a left-hand- er, a southpaw, so that presented a different set of punches to counter, but also a different technique,” he said.

“Gary’s an aggressive, come-forward fighter, always putting on the pressure, always swinging punches with both hands.

“Even though Pacquiao came after me in the ninth round, he was more of a counter-puncher, he was always trying to bring me on to his big left hand and for the first half of the fight it was me taking the fight to him and forcing him on the back foot.

“Gary is going to come after me from round one, and we’ll meet in the middle of the ring and go for it.

“Because I’m expecting a constant barrage from him, my legs are going to be crucial to give me the fitness to cope with that constant action for 12 rounds, or however long the fight lasts.”

Horn’s sparring partners for the fight have all been strong, aggressive walk-up fighters.

“They’ve all been tough guys who throw a high volume of punches and that’s what I’ve been working on,” Horn said.

“We know Gary is going to be very strong, aggressive, hungry, win at all costs – and I’m ready for anything.”