A chronic hip injury left Anthony Mundine so powerless on his left side, the veteran boxer says he couldn't even reach down to tie his shoelaces.
Mundine says despite the problem leaving him unable to swivel from his left hip, he put off surgery fearful it would end his career.
The 43-year-old finally had the hip operated on in the months before his 2017 fight against Danny Green.
While he would lose that bout to his long-time rival, Mundine's last fight was a knockout victory over Tommy Browne in Sydney in January.
"I was fighting on one leg for years and I was scared to get a surgery because I thought that would be the end," Mundine said.
"I've got the surgery, now I'm a million bucks.
"With the Green fight I was 80 per cent, with the last fight against Browne I was 90 per cent and now I'm 95 per cent."
Mundine firmly believes he's in the best shape he's been in for years heading into Friday's bout with former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn.
The pair faced off at a press conference in Brisbane's CBD on Wednesday, with Mundine repeating his assertion Horn's camp are too focused on the former rugby league player's age rather than his ability.
"I'm more dangerous now because I'm fit. I've got no injury. I'm not impaired with my hip," he said.
"I wanna bring back the old Choc. You remember the old Choc that would throw punches in bunches and be very explosive and aggressive at times?
"You're going to see some of that. I'm gonna catch him ... and when I catch him I'm gonna jump on him like a tiger."
