Back in July of 2017, Jeff Horn became an overnight superstar in Australia - when he pulled off a massive upset with a controversial twelve round decision over Manny Pacquiao to capture the WBO welterweight title at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Horn's win is viewed as what started a boxing resurgence in Australia.
But now almost three years later, Horn believes a bulk of the public have turned their backs on him.
Now it appears a lot of the Aussie public is siding with the younger Tszyu, who is the son of Australian legend and Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu.
Horn is not disputing the claim that many of his fans have jumped ship to Tszyu.
"It has happened - I feel it. A lot of people have turned their backs," Horn told Sporting News.
"They might be sick of seeing my face or hearing my voice or something. I've done something I guess. Maybe if you're on top for too long, people get sick of you and want to see a new face. I guess Tim's that new face. A lot of my fans have turned against me and are wanting Tim to win."
At the moment, even the bookies are siding with Tszyu, as they have installed him as the early favorite to win the fight.
"I guess I do feel it a little bit (disrespected), but lessons have to be learned," Horn said.
"I keep proving my point in one way or another. He's the favourite, the odds are on him at the moment, but I feel otherwise. I do my best as the underdog and I couldn’t have been happier when I saw he was the favourite for this fight. It means the pressure is on me to prove to you guys that I am the favourite."
