Meet Jeff Horn: The shy nerd and father-to-be who became a world champion boxer.

World champion boxer Jeff Horn is also a shy nerd and father-to-be who married his high school sweetheart.

You’d think, for a boxer, beating (now former) world welterweight title holder Manny Pacquiao would be the triumph Jeff Horn considers number one on his life’s highlight reel.

However, the Brisbane man has told the world that the “best moment of his life” is yet to come. Jeff announced after the historic fight that his wife Jo is pregnant with their first child.

“This is not the best moment of my life, that moment is yet to come with my beautiful wife Joanna, she’s pregnant and having our first child,” the 29-year-old told reporters.

“Thanks for your love and support.”

A post shared by Jeff Horn (@jeffhornboxer) on Dec 12, 2016 at 9:57pm PST

If it stumps you that a man who just proved he’s very capable of leaving a man bloodied and bruised could be that gushy, then you might also be surprised to learn he’s a former schoolteacher with a fairly quiet demeanour.

Jo Horn told The Courier Mail about the shy bookworm she fell in love with back at MacGregor High School in Brisbane more than a decade ago.

“He’s still a bit of a nerd, but now Jeffrey’s the world champion,” she said.

High school shaped Jeff’s life in many ways. Not only did he meet his future wife in Year 8, but it was also there he decided to take up boxing to defend himself against bullies.

Listen: No I don’t want to see them again, in slow motion replay.

Jeff wasn’t expected to take the World Boxing Organization welterweight title from Pacquiao when they battled it out in front of 51,025 people at Suncorp Stadium, but in the end judges decided the Australian had won it 117-111, 115-113, 115-113.

Ahead of the fight, Jo told the Fraser Coast Chronicle lead-up had been like something out of a dream or movie.

“Who could ever think that this could happen for us and that the shy, quiet boy I met at school would not only become a boxer, but fight in a worldwide bout like this?” she said.

Were you watching the fight on Sunday?