Jeff Horn has confirmed he will fight Anthony Mundine in a 71kg catchweight bout at Suncorp Stadium.
Former world champion Jeff Horn has confirmed he will launch his bid for another title tilt in a 71kg [156.5-pounds] catchweight bout against Anthony Mundine at Suncorp Stadium on November 30.
Horn (18-1-1 record) has vowed to end 43-year-old Mundine’s career in Brisbane and eventually earn a rematch with Terence Crawford.
Horn, 30, is launching his comeback after losing his WBO world welterweight title fight to Crawford in the United States in June.
“There is pressure because I am favourite. I will need to be convincing, but he has had his time and now it is my time to take over,” Horn said of Mundine’s 48-8 record.
“I am surprised his career is still going, but hopefully this will be his last fight.”
Horn looked forward to returning to Suncorp Stadium, the venue where he famously defeated boxing great Manny Pacquiao to claim the WBO welterweight crown in July 2017.
"I should be able to (dominate)... if I box Mundine I should be able to win on points quite comfortably. I guess a lot of people would expect me to finish him early but if you look for that it can be scrappy," Horn told The Sydney Morning Herald.
The announcement ended months of speculation linking Mundine as Horn’s next opponent.
“Mundine is an opponent who has been on the radar for quite a while. But we have made him wait in the background for some time, which I know has been frustrating for him. Now is the right time,” Horn said.
“I don’t like giving knockout predictions, but every fight I try to end early – it’s like time off work early.”
Horn’s camp confirmed a fine system for Mundine if he came in over the agreed 71kg for the fight.
Mundine will be fined $350,000 for the first kilogram he exceeds 71kg and $500,000 for every kilogram after that.
Horn admits that it's getting tougher to make the welterweight limit of 147-pounds and he may potentially campaign full-time at the junior middleweight limit of 154.
"It is (harder)... going over 30, the body starts to put on the weight. I've been told it so many times before and now it's starting to happen to me. I can easily put on weight and it's harder to get it back off. Maybe staying at the higher weight, depending how I feel in this fight, may be the smartest move," Horn said to The Herald.
"Already, hitting the bag now at a relaxed weight, I feel like the power has gone up significantly. Because I don't have to cut as much weight, my fitness won't be impacted for having had to cut weight the day before."