BRISBANE, Australia -- It was billed as one of the great Australian fights but in the end it turned out to be nothing more than a dramatic flop with Jeff Horn needing just one minute and 36 seconds to floor Aussie veteran Anthony Mundine.
In front of his home crowd at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, the same venue where he made his name by defeating Manny Pacquiao in 2017, Horn wasted no time in putting Mundine on the canvas -- his 13th career knockout victory -- with a brutal left hook to the body.
All week Mundine had been trash-talking the Queenslander, claiming that he was in prime form and a cut above, but the former NRL star couldn't even give fans one full round before referee Phil Austin declared Horn the victor.
Horn, 30, who improves to a professional record of 19-1-1, admits even he didn't see the fight being so brief.
"I was expecting a hard fight [but] I'm happy to get it over and done quickly," Horn said immediately after the bout. "I feel really, really strong at this weight and I'm really, really happy.
"I knew the landed shot was just perfectly timed, and I knew it would've hurt, because when you land those shots, I know how much they hurt in training.
"Once I knew I got him to the body, I knew he was [looking to] protect that body again. It's like scissors, paper, rock, whether I'm gonna go over the top the next time."
Mundine had previously announced that this would be the final time he would step into the ring and it's hard to see that changing after such an uninspiring performance.
The 43-year-old has been arguably Australian boxing's biggest name for nearly two decades but says it's time to pass the torch over to the younger Horn.
"That's boxing. That's the way it goes," Mundine said. "Jeff proved tonight he's the better man, with a better shot. That's the next generation and I'll pass it on. I've had a great career.
"It couldn't have gone to a better guy. Jeff's a genuine dude and I'm happy that if anyone did beat me, the way he did, I'm glad it's Jeff.
"My time's up, and good luck to Jeffrey. Hopefully he can go on and do good things and bounce back from Crawford."
The win has seen Horn, who was coming off a ninth round technical knockout defeat to American Terence Crawford in Las Vegas, take hold of the WBA Oceania middleweight and WBO Oriental middleweight titles.
It will have also done his chances of earning another big-money fight no harm, as Horn has stated numerous times his desire to reclaim a world title.