AFTER no food or water overnight and an hour-long steaming hot bath this morning Jeff Horn made the welterweight limit for his WBO world title fight with Gary Corcoran tomorrow night at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.
He was in good spirits despite the privations and for extra spice on his empty stomach donned a unique prop — a pair of ear muffs with teeth attached as a nod to his opponent’s threat to bite him.
Camera Icon Jeff Horn takes a shot at opponent Gary Corcoran. Photo: Getty Images Picture: Getty Images
Horn weighed 66.52kg and Corcoran 66.47 at yesterday’s official weigh-in. The welterweight limit is 66.68kg.
While Corcoran is full of confidence he is so little known in the world of boxing that ring announcer Michael “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” Buffer twice introduced him to the crowd as “Gary Gallagher”, drawing heavy groans from his team and from Bob Arum, the world’s leading promoter.
“They’ll all know my name after this,” Corcoran said.
The English gypsy’s team immediately raised the issue of Horn’s fighting style — and what they call deliberate headbutts — with New York referee Benjy Esteves Jr, who said he would enforce the rules of boxing to the letter for both teams.
Camera Icon Jeff Horn and Gary Corcoran eyeball each other at the weigh in. Photo: Liam Kidston Picture: News Corp Australia
Horn was joined at the weigh-in by his heavily pregnant wife Jo and said her welfare was his top priority, even more than the big fight.
“There’s going to be a problem tomorrow if Jo has the baby at the fight,” Horn said.
“We might have to postpone the bout because Jo will kill me if I don’t go to the hospital with her.”
The world welterweight champion said he would refuel all afternoon with electrolyte drinks and pasta and watch an action movie with Jo to inspire him for the fight.
He has taken to wearing a sleep apnoea mask to stop snoring and says it allows him to wake feeling much more refreshed than in recent weeks.
Horn snored heavily before the July victory over Manny Pacquiao but Jo, who normally silences it by elbowing him in the ribs, let him get as much shut eye as possible leading into the victory before 51,000 people at Suncorp Stadium.
Horn had an unlikely supporter join him at yesterday’s weight-in, former world champ Amir Khan who said he was backing Horn for victory and not Corcoran, his countryman.
Camera Icon Amir Khan with Jeff Horn. Photo: Liam Kidston Picture: News Corp Australia
“I support Gary Corcoran and I would have sparred with him if I didn’t have to have hand surgery,” said Khan, who has been on the Gold Coast hinterland filming the TV show I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!
“But Jeff Horn is a very strong, aggressive fighter. He puts huge pressure on his opponents and I think he will win this.
“I want to get a good look at him fighting in person because he and I might be a big fight in 2018. I would use a lot of angles and movement against him.”