Australian boxing champion Jeff Horn has shared the $30,000 diet plan he credits with transforming his body ahead of a potential multi-million-dollar showdown against Tim Tszyu next year.
The 31-year-old from Brisbane began a revolutionary diet two months ago that was put together by a nutritionist and cooked by a personal trainer – and he has since totally changed both his physique and fitness.
Having previously been accused of eating pizzas in the lead-up to his loss to Zerafa in August, Horn and his team overhauled his diet and brought in nutritionist Sav Manolis and private chef Daniel Hernandez to take charge of his health.
Horn redeemed himself and set up a potential $6 million showdown against Tim Tszyu next April, after he crushed Michael Zerafa in their rematch in Brisbane on Wednesday night.
Australian boxing champion Jeff Horn (pictured) has shared the $30,000 diet plan he credits with transforming his body
The 31-year-old began a revolutionary diet two months ago that was put together by a nutritionist and cooked by a PT (pictured during fight against Michael Zerafa on December 18)
So what is the diet behind Horn’s new-found success?
After undergoing genetic tests and blood samples to find which foods did and didn’t agree with the fighter, Manolis and Herandez reportedly eliminated white rice and pasta from Horn’s diet.
His diet was instead filled with home-delivered meals that included wild-caught Australian octopus, organic black rice and pulse pasta.
‘I had a lot more energy and a lot more fuel for training, which is what I needed,’ Horn told the Sunday Telegraph.
‘I probably didn’t have that the first time, I wasn’t putting in the right fuel for the body.’
On the diet, Horn has enjoyed home-delivered meals that included wild-caught Australian octopus, organic black rice and pulse pasta (pictured ahead of fight against Michael Zerafa)
Horn added that he hadn’t realised how important food was for performance, and that while he had always watched what he ate, he allowed ‘a bit of junk food here and there’ to sneak into his daily diet.
The nine-week meal service set him back a staggering $30,000 – with every meal being weighed to the gram before being served.
The cooking method was also crucial to the success of Horn’s physical transformation.
‘With the chicken, I never grilled or barbecued it, only sous vide (vacuum-sealed), so it doesn’t stress the muscle and retains all the nutrients and moisture,’ private chef Hernandez told the publication.
The nine-week meal service set Horn (pictured) back a staggering $30,000 – with every meal being weighed to the gram before being served
Hernandez also said he ‘doesn’t like’ using Australian salmon or barramundi because most of it is farmed and so might provoke some kind of a reaction in the body.
Instead, Horn would have wild-caught tuna, snapper and octopus from Western Australia.
Hernandez warned that other people can’t just take up Horn’s diets and expect to see results as this program was specifically tailored to the fighter.
Horn was required to eat foods like octopus, because it is ‘just muscle’ and doesn’t have any fat – meaning he wouldn’t start craving fat from other sources.
On Wednesday night Horn took out the bout 94-94, 90-98 and 92-97 to reclaim his WBA and WBO regional titles and restore natural order over Michael Zerafa, 27 (pictured after win)
On Wednesday night Horn took out the bout 94-94, 90-98 and 92-97 to reclaim his WBA and WBO regional titles and restore natural order over Michael Zerafa, 27.
Asked how he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when Zerafa was seconds from stunning him in the ninth round like he did in Bendigo four months ago, Horn credited his ‘big heart’.
‘That’s all I can say. He’s a warrior – he proved it again tonight,’ Horn said as he refused to rule out a second rematch.
‘You never know what happens in boxing. We’ll see what options are on the table.’
The victory puts horn on track for a $18 million three-fight deal against Tim Tszyu, the son of former world champ Kostya Tszyu, which would be one of the most lucrative pay days in Australian sporting history.
The pair would square off in March before meeting again the following year in a trilogy promoters anticipate will rival the Mundine v Danny Green battle for PPVs and gate takings.