By Scott Gilfoid: Promoter Dennis Hobson doesn’t see the March 17th fight between unbeaten welterweight contender Kell Brook (26-0, 18 KO’s) and former EBU welterweight champion Matthew Hatton (42-5-2, 16 KO’s) as being a particularly competitive match-up due to the wide talent gap between Brook and the arguably much less talented 30-year-old Hatton. Hobson sees this fight as a mismatch, and just a money fight but not a competitive match-up.

Hobson told the sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk “Brook is at a different level to Matthew; he’s fighting the Hatton brand, rather than Matthew. It’s just a decent payday, rather than Brook taking on a genuine world class boxer…Kell’s [fight] is more of a commercial event. Kell could demolish him. People point to how Matthew went the distance with Saul Alvarez, but Alvarez never got out of 1st gear.”

Very true, I agree. Brook is way, way better than Hatton and all the appreciation that Hatton got for receiving punishment in his 12 round decision loss to Alvarez last year doesn’t mean a thing. It was just congratulating a guy for getting spanked royally in a humiliating fashion.

It’s kind of like someone getting a D- on a test and then getting encouragement from people trying to get him to buck up and not feel bad. Brook isn’t that great of a fighter, but he’s still a lot better than Hatton. Between the two of them, I’d say there’s got to be at least one level of talent with Brook being the better guy by far.

But what scares me is the way that Brook is going after money fights without any value even at this point in his early career. If he’s not fighting anyone now and spinning his gears facing one over-matched opponent after another, then what will happen if Brook ever gets a hold of one of the world titles? I can see the guy trotting Hatton-type fighters every four months in a prolonged milking of the title.

Brook needs to win this fight and start facing A level fighters for a change. Talk your underachievers, this guy takes the take. He’s not pushing himself that’s for sure. Not sure what the issue is but maybe he’s got some self doubt about his ability to compete with world class fighters.