Jeff Horn has solidified his place in Australian sporting folklore with another stunning performance to avenge his August defeat to Michael Zerafa.

The 31-year-old overcame a slew of challenging circumstances, both in the lead-up to and during the fight, all while wearing Zerafa-branded gloves.

The ninth round loomed to again be Horn's kryptonite, but in a dramatic fashion he flipped the script.

Zerafa's eagerness to close the show brought about his downfall, walking onto Horn's right hand, which then sent him crashing to the canvas, marking the first of two knockdowns in the round that sealed the victory.

The punch wasn't too dissimilar from the famous punch thrown by Juan Manuel Marquez that sent Manny Pacquiao to sleep.

Horn silenced calls for an early retirement and the shelving of long-time trainer and mentor Glenn Rushton by scoring a majority decision victory.

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Ironically, Rushton dismissed calls from corner-man Adam Copland to withdraw Horn in the ninth round, a decision that proved prophetic given the knockdowns that followed.

Faced with three minutes, Horn chased an elusive knockout but was forced to settle for a decision win.

The verdict was laced with controversy, given the 94-94 card penned by World Boxing Association (WBA) Oceania head Francisco Martinez.

The other unusual scorecard came from Ferlin Marsh, who was widely criticised for his performance as referee in the first fight, scoring the bout wide (98-90) to Horn.

It was another iconic, underdog victory for Horn.

"I can't wait until Christmas … Santa came tonight for me," Horn told ABC Grandstand in the aftermath.

"I needed to get that back to get my career back on track."

It was a fight that immediately entered Australian boxing folklore.

Internationally accredited media have already forecast a nomination for the ninth round to be nominated for round of the year honours. The awards are voted by consensus bible of boxing, Ring Magazine.

"That ninth round, I hate it," Horn said.

It was the same round in which he was stopped against Terence Crawford and Zerafa in their first fights. He was also lucky to survive an onslaught from Pacquiao in the ninth.

"It's a comeback. I've never fought a guy and lost, and come back and won. This is definitely up there in top three of my best fights."

Horn flipped the script by securing a brutal knockdown in the ninth. ( AAP: Dan Peled )

There are very few examples in boxing history, particularly outside of the heavyweight division, where a fighter overturns a stoppage loss to win an immediate rematch.

The victory opens up a series of high-profile opportunities for Horn, including a lucrative challenge for the WBA regular middleweight title held by Ryota Murata.

The Japanese star defends his strap on December 23 against Canadian Steven Butler.

However, Horn's short-lived stay in the middleweight division appears over, with his promoter signalling a move down to junior middleweight (69.85kg).

Other options include an equally lucrative showdown with domestic rival and fledgling star Tim Tszyu.

A trilogy between Horn and Zerafa appears less likely, given the mesh of styles and animosity between the camps.

A trilogy fight seems unlikely between the pair. ( AAP: Dan Peled )

The junior middleweight division is something of an oddity, between glamour divisions at middleweight and welterweight.

Tony Harrison (WBC), Patrick Teixeira (WBO) and Julian Williams (IBF & WBA) hold the alphabet titles in the division. Despite all being accomplished fighters, none of them is a household name with casual sports fans.

The night started with a gloves controversy. Horn's team, led by Rushton, had originally opted for a pair of custom Everlast gloves, the traditional choice of Horn.

On further inspection, Rushton preferred Horn wear the same pair of gloves as his opponent, featuring Zerafa's name, citing significantly less padding and a possible mental edge.

"It was funny punching him with his own name on my gloves," Horn said.

It was a night anybody watching won't soon forget, with Horn recapturing his greatness and cementing his claim Australia's top prize fighter.