Boxing war that made 'a mess' of Zerafa's mum

Being the parent of a fighter comes with one key prerequisite – a high tolerance for emotional pain.

When Michael Zerafa takes to the ring to fight Anthony Mundine on Saturday night – his mother will be in attendance even though "she hates it".

"Yeah she's always there in the crowd. I always age her 20 years she says," Zerafa told Wide World of Sports. "But she sees the love and passion I have for the sport so she chases the same dream."

Every parent wants to see their child succeed – although for Zerafa's dream to come true he has to spill blood and go through a series of jabs, hooks and uppercuts to reach his destination, something his mother has had to begrudgingly accept over the years. When Zerafa was seven he told his parents he wanted to be a champion but they didn't exactly take him seriously.

"As a little kid I said to my mum one morning I want to be a world champion. I I literally said I'm going to give it my absolute all," Zerafa said.

"I didn't get too much support it was in one ear and out the other I guess.

"But when they saw the passion and the dedication I had towards it and what I was willing to lose to have my dream they opened up and said if this is what you want to do lets do it.

"I've always had my father's backing but my mum never wanted me to get in the ring.

"For me its never been about money its about legacy. Putting my last name on a pedestal in the sport of boxing and ever since then I've never lost faith.

"I've always said the dream I had when I was seven and the dream I have now has been the exact same."

Convincing his mother to come to fights became easier as he became more confident and more successful. She was more at ease watching him when she felt more confident she wouldn't witness her son copping punishment consistently, Zerafa said.

Although that changed the night of his rematch with Jeff Horn in Brisbane.

Zerafa and Horn engaged in a 10-round war in Brisbane with Horn gaining a split decision – but only after a controversial referee intervention in the ninth round.

Horn was bleeding profusely from a cut he suffered early in the fight above his eye and Zerafa was doing all he could to end the fight with a barrage of blows. The Queenslander's camp admitted they were seconds away from throwing in the towel to save their man from further punishment when referee John Cauchi called a time-out.

The bout was stopped for about 25 seconds while a doctor examined Horn. When the fight resumed Horn was the one inflicting all the damage. Zerafa was bloodied and beaten and was on the receiving end of some ferocious shots at the end of the ninth. The series of blows intuitively led Zerafa to seek out his mother in the crowd. The scene wouldn't have been out of place in a Rocky movie, only Zerafa didn't scream 'Adrian!'

"She was a mess. I remember looking up at her after the ninth round and gave her a wink. She couldn't stand it," Zerafa recalled.

"She was a major mess. Yeah she was really worried about me and was doing it real tough but we got through it."

When Zerafa takes to the ring against Mundine tomorrow, his mother, father, brother and sister will be there to show their support along with the majority of Bendigo. The bout is tipped to be Mundine's last and is expected to be a sell-out with a 12,000 capacity at Bendigo Stadium.

When asked how his mother felt about his fight with the Indigenous great, Zerafa said her message was succinct.

"She said 'go in there and worry about what you gotta do and stick to the game plan and don't get overwhelmed'. She's been telling me to throw the same combination for years."

You can watch the Michael Zerafa vs Anthony Mundine fight for $29.95 on www.zerafa.tv or www.mundine.tv on Saturday March 13.