Former WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn is entering 2020 on a very high note.

A few months ago, Horn moved up to the middleweight division and he was beaten down and stopped by countryman Michael Zerafa.

The rematch took place earlier this month, and saw Horn get revenge with a twelve round decision.

In the ninth round of that fight, Horn was hurt and in very serious trouble. He appeared to be on the verge of getting knocked out - and some referees would have likely stopped the fight as Horn was getting battered around the ring and his legs were in bad shape.

As he was being pounded by punches and bloody from a cut, he created a highlight reel moment when he dropped Zerafa with a huge counter hook. A moment later he dropped Zerfara for a second time. This time it was Zerafa who was close to the brink. Horn went from nearly becoming a knockout victim to securing an outcome defining 10-7 round.

Glenn Rushton, the head trainer for Horn, admits that his corner was getting extremely concerned as their man was getting beat down during the ninth - with one member of the corner calling for the towel to get thrown in to stop the bout.

"One of my corner men said to me he wanted to throw the towel in ... he had the towel in his hands and I said 'not yet, not yet', and I was vindicated in the end,'' Rushton said to WA Today.

"It's a line-ball decision and I am trying to weigh up every round that Jeff had done, I was looking at the time, I am looking at Jeff, I am looking at so many things as I always do and I try to evaluate whether we have a chance to win the fight. I am so pleased that I kept him at bay and held him off, he said to me at the end of the fight 'great call'.

"It's incredible. It was the only way to answer the critics, whether it's me as a trainer or Jeff as a fighter. We have to let history be the judge ... otherwise if we don't produce it vindicates them. We had to dig deep, every hill run I fought Jeff to do. I flogged him, I pushed him, I tried to awaken the giant again and I think I did.

"It was probably the best fight I have seen for a very long time. Two guys who poured their heart out in the ring and threw everything they had at each other ... and Jeff emerged through all of that triumphant. It does feel good. I have always said Jeff can beat anyone in the world but you have just got to put the effort in."