BRISBANE, Australia — It was billed as one of the great Australian fights but in the end it turned out to be nothing more than a dramatic flop with Jeff Horn needing just one minute and 36 seconds to floor Aussie veteran Anthony Mundine.
In front of his home crowd at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, the same venue where he made his name by defeating Manny Pacquiao in 2017, Horn wasted no time in putting Mundine on the canvas, and earning his 13th career knockout victory, with a brutal left hook to the jaw.
All week Mundine had been trash-talking the Queenslander, claiming that he was in prime form and a cut above, but the former NRL star couldn’t even give fans one full round before referee Phil Austin declared Horn the victor.
Horn, who improves to a professional record of 19-1-1, admits even he didn’t see the fight being so brief.
“I feel really, really strong at this weight,” Horn said immediately after the bout.
“I was expecting a hard fight.
“I’m happy to get it over and done quickly.”
Mundine had previously announced that this would be the final time he would step into the ring and it’s hard to see that changing after such an uninspiring performance.
The 43-year-old has been arguably Australian boxing’s biggest name for nearly two decades but says it’s time to pass the torch over to Horn.
“I’ve had a great career,” Mundine said.
“Jeff proved tonight he’s the better man. That’s the next generation and I’ll pass it on.”
The win has seen Horn, who was coming off a ninth round technical knockout defeat to American Terence Crawford in Las Vegas, take hold of the WBA Oceania middleweight and WBO Oriental middleweight titles.
It will have also done his chances of earning another big-money fight no harm as he has stated numerous times his desire to reclaim a world title.
