Brook to fight on December 6th, Hearn says Rios, Berto, Lopez and Guerrero in play

By Boxing News - 08/19/2014 - Comments

Kell Brook vs Shawn Porter(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) By Scott Gilfoid: Promoter Eddie Hearn says that his fighter IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (33-0, 22 KOs) will be fighting on December 6th in Sheffield.

Hearn picked the same date that Amir Khan plans on fighting in the United States, because Hearn wants to start building for an April or May mega-fight between Khan and Brook.

As far as who Brook will be fighting next in his voluntary defense on December 6th, Hearn says he’s interested in guys like Brandon Rios, Josesito Lopez, Andre Berto and Robert Guerrero.

Hearn wants an opponent with a name that’s recognizable to the American boxing public because the fight has a chance of being picked up by one of the U.S Cable companies. But Hearn also wants an opponent that will bring out the best in Brook and make him look good. He also wants someone that he’s fairly sure that Brook will come out victorious.

Hearn ruled out southpaw Devon Alexander and Victor Ortiz as possible opponents for Brook. He sees Alexander as being a tough style match-up for Brook, and he feels it would be messy. You can read that to mean he’s not sure if Brook can beat Alexander, and I agree with that.

Some boxing fans are already comparing the two, saying that Brook is the British version of Alexander, and I think there’s some truth to that belief. Brook does a lot of clinching like Alexander and he’s got the same rigid and compact punching style as him.

“I think it needs to be a name,” Hearn said to IFL TV. “Obviously it needs to be someone I think he can win against, and look good against. It’s also got to be an exciting fight. The Brandon Rios’ fight did excite me, because he’s an all-action fighter that will bring it, and a lot of people who he is. Josesito Lopez, Berto, he’s a bit past it. Guerrero’s a good fight. I think we need a big name, a credible name. I think [Keith] Thurman is a tough fight. Pacquiao obviously. Mayweather. Who could rule out Mayweather or Pacquiao in Wembley. Kell’s an extremely exciting fighter to watch, so let’s put him in with a style that shows that rather than a slick southpaw [Devon Alexander] that’s going to be a bit messy.”

So there it is. Hearn has Brandon Rios at the top of his wish list, and he doesn’t seem too keen on letting Brook fight Thurman or Alexander. I’m so not surprised. I knew when Brook mentioned wanting to fight Thurman next in December that there was no way that Hearn was going to make that fight, and sure enough that’s the case.

As far as Hearn getting Rios for Brook, I don’t see that happening in December. Rios’ promoter Bob Arum has no doubt seen Brook vs. Shawn Porter fight by now and noticed the huge amount of clinching that Brook got away with in the fight. I don’t think Arum is going to let Rios fight another clincher, especially after all the clinching that Rios’ last opponent Diego Chaves did against him.

Chavez used clinching to nullify Rios’ offense on the inside and he was winning the fight in the 9th round at the time he was disqualified by the referee for throwing an elbow. Arum isn’t going to let Rios get beaten by Brook over in the UK. Arum will likely save Rios for the likes of Tim Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov or even a rematch against Chaves.

Golden Boy Promotions would likely be more than happy to have Guerrero fight Brook in the UK, so that’s a definite possibility. Guerrero is a tough fighter to clinch, and I’m not sure if Brook will be able to use his expertise in tying down his opponents to nullify Guerrero’s offense.

Brook vs. Josesito Lopez or Brook vs Berto won’t work because neither of them are ranked in the top 15 at 147 at this time. Unless they get ranked soon, we might be seining another Rod Salka vs. Danny Garcia fight where the sanctioning bodies refuse to sanction the fight as a title fight for Brook if he gets matched by Hearn against Berto or Lopez.



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