By William Mackay: If welterweight contender Kell Brook (24-0, 16 KO’s) can get by his next opponent Rafael Jackiewicz (38-9-1, 19 KO’s) this Saturday night and look good in winning he fight, Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn wants to take the 25-year-old Brook over to the United States to try and make Brook a super star in the same way that Amir Khan has carved a small niche for himself in the States.

Hopefully Brook can accomplish that task, but he’s going to have to start facing live bodies because few boxing fans will be swayed by Brook if all he ever faces is guys like Jackiewicz and Michael Jennings. Boxing fans in the U.S expect a lot from their fighters.

Khan would likely be a much more popular fighter in the U.S if he were to take on better opposition instead of mixing in a lot of soft opponents. Brook can’t afford to make this same mistake because there are already too many ESPN2 level fighters who are set up with mismatches every week. No one will care if Brook is matched against B level fighters that no one has ever heard of each time he fights.

Speaking with Sky Sports News, Hearn said “Every time I’m in America I’m bombarded with questions about Kell. We have already had some interesting offers and it’s inevitable that Kell will make his mark there soon. Kell has that crossover appear, superstar potential that will in time make him a global star.”

I don’t know that Hearn is right. Brook has got to start facing some quality opponents because the guy is following in the footsteps of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in facing B and C level opponents each time he fights. Brook has already been fighting as a pro for seven years, yet he’s still not faced a quality opponent from the 1st tier.