By Scott Gilfoid: Despite Amir Khan telling IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn this week that Brook must beat two high quality opponents before he’ll face him in 2016, Brook believes that he’ll be getting a fight against Khan in only one more fight, which Brook and Hearn are planning for October.
Brook thinks he’ll be facing Khan by next summer in a huge outdoor stadium in the UK. But before then, Brook likely won’t be following Khan’s directions of facing a high quality opponent. The two fighters that are reportedly in the running for Brook’s October fight is bottom fringe contender Chris Van Heerden and 2nd tier fighter 40-year-old Leonard Bundu.
I’m not sure how Brook could face Bundu though, because he’s not even ranked in the top 15 by the International Boxing Federation. I guess the Brook-Bundu fight can take place if the IBF looks the other way while the fight takes place, or if they suddenly out of nowhere give Bundu a top 15 ranking. That I believe could happen and likely will happen if Hearn wants Bundu for Brook.
“I know that talks are on the way. It looks like British fans might finally get the fight that is well overdue,” Brook said to skysports.com. “I’m due to fight in October and I think he is expected to fight in November, so let’s get those wins and build towards a huge summer showdown next year.”
It would be nice to see Khan and Brook fight, but it’s a fight that does really need to be built up some more in terms of attracting outside interest. How do you get boxing fans outside of the UK interested in a fight between Khan and Brook when neither fighter has beaten anyone good? Brook really needs to beat at least two to three excellent contenders before a fight between him and Khan would be a big affair outside of the UK.
Beating fighters like Frankie Gavin and Jo Jo Dan hasn’t done anything to make Brook a star outside of the UK. Maybe British fans love those fights, but elsewhere the fans weren’t amused by the soft match-making that Hearn did for Brook in putting him in with those guys.
Now if Hearn would match Brook against Errol Spence Jr. , Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter in a rematch, and then Marcos Maidana, the Khan fight would be much bigger. However, I don’t think Hearn is going to ever put Brook in with any of those guys. He was able to clinch his way to a victory over Porter last year, but Porter now knows how to fight guys that clinch nonstop like Brook, and he’s ready to face him again and defeat him.
“It doesn’t get any bigger than walking out in your own country, with a packed out stadium, full of people anticipating the fight,” Brook said. “It will fill any open-air arena. I think it will build into an even bigger fight, so we might have to build it up a little bit more. “
Instead of getting lost in the poppies dreaming about a fight against Khan next year, Brook really needs to start fighting some actual good opponents. The guy has been a pro for 11 years now and yet he’s still fighting poor opposition like Gavin and Jo Jo Dan. I don’t know what the issue is. The other welterweight champions have no problems facing quality opposition.
What’s wrong with Brook? Is he just obediently fighting whoever Hearn lines up for him without putting his foot down to insist that he puts him in with a real body?
Brook recently blew his chance to fight Brandon Rios when he insisted on a rematch clause for the contract, which kind of tells you about Brook’s confidence level. I wasn’t impressed at all in Brook’s choice of opponent in wanting to fight Rios, but then Brook couldn’t even take the fight without a rematch clause. We’re now looking at Brook likely going downward for his next fight unfortunately. If it’s going to be Bundu or Van Heerden for Brook’s next fight, then that’s a lateral move from his last two fights against Gavin and Jo Jo Dan. I see Bundu and Van Heerden as no better and no worse than those two guys.
I don’t see either Brook or Khan being willing to risk their hides facing the quality welterweights in the division. They both just seem like they’re trying to hit a home run by getting a big money fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao where they make out big even if they get whipped due to he big cash they’ll make in those fights. But apart from those fights, I see Khan and Brook taking absolutely no chances by fighting guys that could potentially beat them like Spence, Thurman, Maidana or Porter.
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