By Scott Gilfoid: Number #2 ranked WBO welterweight contender Kell Brook (23-0, 16 KO’s) continues his incredibly slow climb to the top on Saturday night when he faces the nearly 40-year-old Lovemore N’dou (48-12-2, 31 KO’s) in a scheduled 12 round bout for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) Inter-Continental welterweight title at the Hillsborough Leisure Centre, Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK.

N’dou will be turning 40 in August and has lost four of his last eight bouts. Based on the 2nd and 3rd tier opposition in Brooks’ resume, I think he should be ranked around the number 30 spot by the WBO. No way do I see Brook deserving of being ranked #2.

You can probably say that N’dou has lost five out of his last eight fights because he appeared to get a gift draw against Matthew Hatton in 2009. It’s hard to understand or get excited fight if you’re a fan of Brook, because the training wheels should have come long, long ago. Come on, N’dou is someone that Brook should have fought and beaten many years ago, not now that Brook is ranked at number #2. Heck, Brook has been facing obscure guys for ages now.

It’s time to put him in the deep end of the welterweight division pool and see if he swim a few strokes. What comes after N’dou? Another fight against Michael Jennings? What a waste. Well, I supposed Brook will be matched against a dangerous guy eventually but when that time comes, I see Brook doing horribly. You are what you fight. You fight scrubs, then you’re going to be in shock when they put you in with quality.

I would really hate to see Brook go from a fight against an old guy like N’dou into a title fight for a couple of reasons. For one, I don’t think a fighter should be rewarded with a title shot based on wins over 2nd and 3rd tier opponents his entire career. And two, I see Brook being under-equipped to beat any of the champions because of Brook’s lack of quality opposition during his career. Brook needs to start working upwards already. See the N’dou fight as the first fight of his career and now he’s going to start with some quality.