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Jeff Horn has officially retired from professional boxing, revealing the decision to hang up the gloves for good was prompted by “issues with my memory”.
The Queenslander will forever be part of Australian sporting folklore after he defeated boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao at Suncorp Stadium in 2017 in one of the biggest upsets the sport has seen.
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He won three more fights but lost to Michael Zerafa and Terence Crawford, and his last bout was a defeat at the hands of Tim Tszyu nearly three years ago.
Horn told the Courier Mail he had been offered $1 million for a comeback trilogy fight against Zerafa, but he instead made the call to prioritise his long-term health.
“I could have taken $1 million for another fight, but my health is more important than wealth,” the 35-year-old said, announcing his retirement six years to the day after his famous win over Pacquiao.
“To be honest, I’ve had my concerns.
“I’ve had some issues with my memory. I’ve had some tests done on my brain and I was told if I kept going there was a high potential risk of things getting worse and my brain suffering more.
“I need to protect myself because I want to be able to remember my childrens’ names and the big moments in their lives.
“You can’t do that when you are punch-drunk.”
“I’ve had a couple of tests over the years and they said they had some concerns that if I kept going, there would be more worries for me, so that made it a no-brainer to retire.
“The results showed I am below average for memory recall for a normal person my age.
“I can’t remember things that someone my age should retain. There is no training you can do to make my brain better. Once it’s damaged, there’s no going back.
“My wife Jo says I have always been useless with my memory. It’s frustrating. I forget things all the time and I don’t like it.
“Every parent knows the love for their children and the feeling you get from seeing their achievements.
“As a parent, you live for that and you do everything in your power to love your kids and guide them.
“It’s important to have that quality of life.”
Horn, a former schoolteacher, is now turning his focus on spearheading a ‘Bullyproof’ campaign to help fight bullying in Queensland schools.
Originally published as ‘Memory issues’ force Jeff Horn to retire, Aussie boxer rejected $1 million fight
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