Horn dismisses demands of ‘looked after’ Tszyu
BAD blood is beginning to simmer between Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu.
As the biggest domestic fight of the calendar year draws closer, the former welterweight titleholder has grown tired of the requests from unbeaten rival Tszyu.
In recent weeks, the pair have fiercely contested the right to walk second on fight night. And as Horn concedes, the torch could be passed — but only if Tszyu is victorious in Townsville.
“Look, he can be the definite A-side, as much as he wants… if he can win this fight,” Horn told Sean Lawson.
“He’s very well looked after, maybe too well looked after. To the point where you’ll nearly be holding hands with someone when you’re walking out to the ring.
“But he’s got to win first before he becomes the A-side.”
Given his stature as a former world champion and overall pedigree as Australia’s best performed Olympian in three decades, Horn (20-2-1, 13 KOs) believes he should enter the ring last on August 26.
However, Tszyu (15-0, 11 KOs) is defending a pair of WBO and IBF affiliated regional belts earned from earlier wins in a career-best 2019 campaign, which gives the Sydney-based combatant an argument based on logic, and tenure.
Despite ongoing exchanges between the respective teams in the public domain, Horn has made light of the situation, citing the latest request to change hotels.
“I feel like they’re just being babies about it really,” he explained.
“Having Tim, not being able to be in the same hotel. Look I was in the same hotel as Terence Crawford when I was over there, for a world title fight.
“That didn’t worry me. If he’s going to worry about seeing my face before the fight. He’s still going to have to do it at press conferences and weigh-ins. I don’t know how he’s going to handle that.
“He’s demanded that I stay somewhere else and doesn’t want to see me prior to the fight, at the hotel or anything. I guess I’m used to it. I don’t really care if I see him or not, I just ignore him. Each to their own. He wants to be a baby about it and send me to another place.
“I’ll happily go to another place and just chill out by myself.”
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