Kell Brook Contemplating Change in Weight, Amir Khan Still Main Target
Kell Brook Contemplating Change in Weight, Amir Khan Still Main Target
Kell Brook reveals a possible change in weight class and expresses his desire to face Amir Khan.
Having moved two weight classes up to face IBF, IBO, WBC, WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in London last September, Kell Brook is on his way back down the divisional ladder, but he may not be heading back to his original welterweight weight class.
Brook (36-1) had some promising moments against Golovkin in their middleweight title match, but after suffering a fractured orbital bone, the fight was stopped in the fifth round, marking the British fighter's first ever defeat.
Having undergone surgery to repair the damage, Brook is now targeting a return to the ring in May this year, though he revealed this weekend that it may not be at the welterweight limit.
Currently, there's strong speculation Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport are trying to put together a domestic superfight between Brook and fellow British fighter Amir Khan (31-4). Like Brook, Khan also suffered defeat last time he stepped between the ropes, when he was defeated by the Mexican Canelo Alvarez last May.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/SkySportsBoxing/status/814838893694615553" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Khan has also recently undergone surgery to repair an injury to his right hand, though it is said the former Olympic silver medalist isn't so keen to jump straight into the ring with Brook in May and instead would like to have one fight before the two square off in a potential bout in the latter half of 2017.
While fights with the likes of Khan, Manny Pacquiao and Danny Garcia would likely all take place at welterweight, speaking this weekend to Sky Sports, Brook implied his team was currently pushing him to fight at super welterweight (154 lbs.) instead.
"The team around me want me to move to 154 pounds because they know I perform better at the higher weight," Brook said. "But, because I'm stubborn and I'm world champion at 147 pounds, I want to stay down here.
"We're talking about this [Errol] Spence character--he's mandatory. We've even been talking about Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman. There are all these fights and we've wanted to have these fights for years, but I'm stubborn and I want to stay down at 147.
"We're in a predicament now. What do we do? 154 or 147? Where do we go? We're still in talks with many different options, but Amir Khan is still my main target. It's got to be him."
While Khan might be his main target, Brook's mandatory next opponent for his IBF welterweight title is the man he mentioned previously--Errol Spence. Spence is undefeated as a 20-0 professional and if Brook was to face anybody else before him, he would be instantly stripped of his title.
Brook and Hearne have plenty to think about in the coming weeks and months.
Brook (36-1) had some promising moments against Golovkin in their middleweight title match, but after suffering a fractured orbital bone, the fight was stopped in the fifth round, marking the British fighter's first ever defeat.
Having undergone surgery to repair the damage, Brook is now targeting a return to the ring in May this year, though he revealed this weekend that it may not be at the welterweight limit.
Currently, there's strong speculation Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport are trying to put together a domestic superfight between Brook and fellow British fighter Amir Khan (31-4). Like Brook, Khan also suffered defeat last time he stepped between the ropes, when he was defeated by the Mexican Canelo Alvarez last May.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/SkySportsBoxing/status/814838893694615553" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Khan has also recently undergone surgery to repair an injury to his right hand, though it is said the former Olympic silver medalist isn't so keen to jump straight into the ring with Brook in May and instead would like to have one fight before the two square off in a potential bout in the latter half of 2017.
While fights with the likes of Khan, Manny Pacquiao and Danny Garcia would likely all take place at welterweight, speaking this weekend to Sky Sports, Brook implied his team was currently pushing him to fight at super welterweight (154 lbs.) instead.
"The team around me want me to move to 154 pounds because they know I perform better at the higher weight," Brook said. "But, because I'm stubborn and I'm world champion at 147 pounds, I want to stay down here.
"We're talking about this [Errol] Spence character--he's mandatory. We've even been talking about Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman. There are all these fights and we've wanted to have these fights for years, but I'm stubborn and I want to stay down at 147.
"We're in a predicament now. What do we do? 154 or 147? Where do we go? We're still in talks with many different options, but Amir Khan is still my main target. It's got to be him."
While Khan might be his main target, Brook's mandatory next opponent for his IBF welterweight title is the man he mentioned previously--Errol Spence. Spence is undefeated as a 20-0 professional and if Brook was to face anybody else before him, he would be instantly stripped of his title.
Brook and Hearne have plenty to think about in the coming weeks and months.