Jeff Horn's Trainer Has Defended His Bizarre Actions From The Tim Tszyu Fight

It was the moment that had sport fans scratching their heads... and boxing purists pulling their hair out.

Boxing trainer Glenn Rushton made headlines for all the wrong reasons during the all-Aussie bout between Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu last month.

Rushton, who helped guide Horn to a WBO welterweight championship, came under heavy fire for trying to convince his fighter to continue on against Tszyu when he was clearly dead and buried.

In a bizarre exchange in the corner, Horn's coach was heard asking: "Have you got a punch left in you or not?"

And in the aftermath of the fight - which Horn ended up losing - Rushton was bombarded with criticism from boxing experts, fighters and fans alike.

But now Rushton has released a statement defending his own actions while slating Horn's cornerman Adam Copeland - the one teammate who pushed for the towel be thrown in on the night.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Rushton said: "The footage appears to confirm that Adam, in particular, was largely responsible for ending the fight and quite possibly, Jeff's career.

"This was a shame, as Adam had been sent to the canvas during his fight earlier in the night, went to hospital the following morning and shouldn't have even been on the apron in the first place.

"The fact that he was on the apron tells me that he probably wasn't thinking clearly, as he knows the rules."

Clearly incensed by what he was reading, it didn't take long for cornerman Copeland to fire back with a rebuttal.

Twitter

"For Glenn to write this about me, with not one phone call to me after the fight asking why I stopped it, just shows what type of person he is," Copland said on Instagram.

"To say I was concussed and confused is nothing but defamatory and false. Of course I knew what was going on and so did the rest of Australia.

"I could sit here and write 2700 words about him like he did about everyone else in his post but I think he says enough for everyone to understand who he is as a person.

"And yes, I called him and told him all my problems about his post before I decided to post this, as that in my eyes, is the right thing to do. And of course there was no acceptance of any wrong doing as usual.

"I love Jeff Horn and his whole family. I hope the public does not associate Jeff Horn with Glenn Rushton's garbage. As no one deserves that."

And when he's not turning on his own team Rushton later goes on to defend his questionable actions, claiming Horn wasn't actually hurt he was just losing the fight.

Yep, we're not quite sure if he was watching the same fight either.

You can read Rushton's full 2752-word statement HERE.

Topics: Tim Tszyu, Boxing, Australia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry