By Scott Gilfoid: If IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (35-0, 24 KOs) gets his way, he’ll be back inside the ring this December if his rib injury heals up in time for that to take place. If the 29-year-old Brook heals up by December, he’ll be able to fight on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte card at the O2 Arena in London, UK.
Needless to say, Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn would be overjoyed at having him on the Joshua-Whyte card against #4 IBF Diego Chaves (23-2-2, 19 KOs), because Hearn could then make the fight for Sky Box Office PPV rather than on Sky Sports 1.
However, Hearn is going to need to know soon whether Brook’s rib is going to be healed in time for the Joshua vs. Whyte card, because they need to let Sky know well ahead so they can advertise the fight card as being a Sky Box Office card. The last thing Sky needs is to let the fans know at the last second that the fight will be PPV rather than on normal Sky.
Brook was bummed out that he couldn’t fight last Saturday night on October 24th against Chaves at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, UK. Brook was previously scheduled to face Chaves on that card, but Brook reportedly suffered the injury while sparring the hard hitting David Avanesyan.
“It’s funny we start this interview with me smiling because I’m devastated tonight,” Brook said via IFL TV. “I should be here with a packed out arena. I’d put some serious work in, I’d spent a lot of money on this training camp and then, in the last sparring session I get a rib injury…..devastated.”
If Brook is smart he’ll forget all about trying to rush back into training to face Chaves in December, because he’s likely going to get obliterated by the powerful Argentinian slugger if he tries to come back too soon from the injury.
Chaves is going to be testing Brook’s ribs anyway due to the injury, and if he’s still having problems in that area, then Chaves will have the power to bring that out. I can just see Brook taking a knee left and right all fight long every time that Chaves nails him with a hard body shot in his injured rib area.
“It’s just about rest, obviously no sparring and I’m going to see my physio, and we’ll work on the area properly,” Brook said. “I’m just listening to my team but I’m fit and healthy, so hoping for a quick recovery and I’m wanting to get out before the end of the year.”
Brook is just going to need to put a sock in it and sit this one out if he’s smart. I think the Joshua vs. Whyte card will be fine without Brook being on it. I mean, the card definitely won’t be PPV worthy without Brook-Chaves, but it’s a still going to get enough fans interested in the fight card for it to be successful. If Brook goes out there and tries to slug with Chaves with a still bad rib injury, it’s going to end badly for Brook.
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