Jeff Horn’s next fight has been confirmed with the former world welterweight champion set to face compatriot Michael Zerafa in Bendigo on August 31st.
Horn (19-1-1, 13 KOs), 31, became a household name when he famously defeated future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao in 2017, but has since relinquished his championship belt to American Terence Crawford after a one-sided fight in Las Vegas last year.
The Queenslander is now looking to rebuild his career and has opted to take on Zerafa (26-3, 15 KOs) at middleweight in what will be his first fight in Victoria since 2013.
Zerafa, 27, is a former Victorian super middleweight champion and heads into the fight having scored an early knockout win over Les Sherrington at the Melbourne Pavilion back in April.
The bout will take place at the new Bendigo Stadium which features retractable seating, allowing up to 4,000 spectators to attend the event.
Victoria’s Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula, says securing the fight is a landmark moment for Bendigo and regional Victoria.
“Victoria is unmatched as the sporting and event capital and we’re excited to be able to bring such a high class fight to the brand new Bendigo Stadium,” he said. “Sporting events like this are more than just great spectacles, they’re a big driver of the regional economy and offer great opportunities for local businesses.”
The fight will be Horn’s first since December, when he floored Australian veteran Anthony Mundine inside the first two minutes at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
Earlier this year Horn’s camp had confirmed a fight with Japanese middleweight Ryota Murata, but the Australian withdraw as his wife Jo was close to giving birth to their second child. While hopeful of settling on a new date with Murata, it never eventuated.
Horn then told ESPN he would relish the opportunity to fight Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez and prove to everyone he is no one-fight-wonder.