Favourite tag not sitting well with Horn

Jeff Horn admits he's not particularly comfortable with the pressure that comes with being the overwhelming favourite for his fight with Anthony Mundine.

Jeff Horn and Anthony Mundine

Jeff Horn (left) and Anthony Mundine (right) pose for the cameras ahead of Friday's fight. (AAP)

For much of his life Jeff Horn has been the underdog - the schoolkid who took up boxing to escape bullying.

Humble Jeff against the world.

It's an image Horn's camp has drawn on for his world title fights against Manny Pacquiao and Terence Crawford.

This time, ahead of Friday's fight with Anthony Mundine in Brisbane, it's the schoolteacher with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

After being stopped by Crawford in June, Horn knows he's got to beat Mundine - and beat him well - to put himself back on the world stage.

A defeat to the 43-year-old ex-rugby league player would be, in Horn's own admission, "devastating" for his career.

At an official press conference in Brisbane's CBD on Wednesday, promoter Dean Lonergan, trainer Glenn Rushton and even Queensland Sports Minister Mick de Brenni boldly predicted a knockout win for Horn as Mundine sat nearby, stony-faced.

Horn was more circumspect in his predictions, simply saying if Rushton believes he can knock Mundine out, then he will.

The 30-year-old knows he's taking on all the risk in Friday's fight, and admits it was an attractive financial deal that convinced him to take on Mundine.

"That mental pressure and that pressure of losing was I guess countered by the financial reward of this fight so that made it viable to take," Horn said.

"I actually don't like being the favourite. I don't like the expectations that you should knock him out. I hate that.

"There is that extra pressure of I've got to win and I've got to win convincingly."

Horn has already had to threaten his promoters and strip them of access to his social media after they made posts calling out Mundine for his views on homosexuality.

The former WBO welterweight champion was also clearly unhappy at being forced by Mundine's management to attend a press conference in Sydney last weekend.

Then there's the unknown of being at a 71kg catchweight, with Horn stepping up in weight as he plans to explore his avenues beyond the welterweight division.

Horn is convinced he's actually punching harder with the extra weight but Mundine, who labelled himself the "dream crusher" at Wednesday's press conference, believes fighting at a lower weight than he's used to has given him extra speed and mobility in the ring.

Mundine says he feels sympathy for Horn, whom he believes is being led astray by Rushton and his promotions team.

"He had options but what is he going to be paid a couple of hundred thousand against another A-plus American in the welterweight or is he going to come and make a couple of million - a few million - against The Man?," Mundine said.

"Once I win, inshallah (if Allah wills it), I want to help the kid because he's getting robbed left, right and centre from his team.

"He's getting left with half of the earnings. Man, that's wrong. We put in all the hard work, we bust our ass, we work hard to get where we're at.

"What they're doing is criminal."


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Source: AAP


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