By Wayne Lloyd: On March 17th evening at the Motorpoint arena in Sheffield we witnessed the birth of a new boxing superstar. Kell Brook (27-0, 18 KO’s) systematically defeated and dismantled a tough, rugged and determined former World Championship contender – Matthew Hatton (50-42-6) – over 12 rounds with a unanimous points decision victory.

There have been a number of false dawns in boxing so history proves that it is sometimes easy to get caught up in the euphoria of the moment and build someone up to have too much potential which is why I have taken a few days to write this article and witness the fallout from the fight itself. There are some people out there who will try to pick holes in Kell Brooks’ potential before he has challenged for or won a World Championship Belt; however, I believe that these people are thinking far too subjectively about a fighter that is on the cusp of what I believe will be a become a successful boxing journey. Such subjective thinkers would also want us to consider that Kell Brook took a couple of shots against Matthew Hatton in the 8th round although such people might also want to consider that it was those same shots kept Saul Alvarez (who may well be Mayweathers’ next opponent) at bay for a full 12 rounds back in March 2011. If we think about his performance objectively, therefore, then we can see that Kell is displaying all the attributes of a World Champion. He has fast hands, great feet, unbelievable technique, a strong chin, proven stamina, a strong fan base, an exciting style and a knock out punch. In addition to this Kell has also displayed great temperament in what could have been a difficult 6 months for him. In December Kell made his American debut on the undercard of the Froch v Ward fight in Atlantic City and produced a very patient and professional performance which saw him win via a KO. He produced the same patient performance in Sheffield when it might have been easier for him to please the crowd and push for a KO victory. Indeed, I was lucky enough to speak to Kell on the afternoon of his weigh in when in Atlantic City and was impressed at how in control he was. In asking him if he felt ready for his fight he very calmly replied ‘always’ with a big smile on his face.

If we take all of these things on board we might consider that Amir Khan could learn much from someone I feel he will avoid at all costs should he overturn the Lamont Peterson defeat on May 19. Since that defeat Amir has shown none of the qualities that I believe Kell has. Since being defeated by Peterson I have most definitely lost any respect I had for him after the Maidana victory. People say it is in defeat that you truly learn about the integrity of a person – if this is true then Khan has truly disappointed his fans. The defeat was the fault of everyone else apart from himself. It was because the fight was in Washington DC, it was because it was refereed by an inexperienced referee and scored by someone that should not have been ringside. As much as we can agree there were some inconsistencies with protocol Amir Khan quickly forgot that he was warned on a number of occasions about pushing but still persisted in doing so and he only has himself to blame. Now lets take his performance – average. I do not believe there is anyone that can watch that fight and truly believe that Amir had taught Lamont a boxing lesson. I actually believe he will lose the rematch too if he produces another performance of that standard. Indeed, if we look at his performances prior to the Peterson fight then we might consider that he falls way short of the potential that Kell seems to have.

Apart from the Maidana victory I cannot credit him with a great performance. Indeed, prior to the Maidana victory I am also struggling to find a performance that proves him to be a world beater. I saw Zab Juddah fight on the undercard of Calzaghe v Roy Jones Jr in Madison square garden back in 2008 and he won a 10 round fight on points. His performance was dreadful so when Khan beat him it didn’t impress me at all – nor should it impress anyone that really understands the sport. Zab Juddah was just a name along with Marco Antonio Barrera. Malinaggi would never have had a knock out punch to trouble Amir which is why he fought him whilst his performance against McCloskey was very poor indeed – especially for someone that believes he can match Mayweather!! Simultaneously; although he showed great heart and a stronger chin that most had anticipated the Maidana victory does not seem as impressive as it did at the time. Having seen Maidana fight the likes of Eric Morales (a fight I believe he lost) and Devon Alexander it seems that he is not as strong a contender as we first believed him to be.

Kell Brook believes that he can ‘smash’ Amir Khan and I absolutely agree with him. Kell is on another level to the likes of Juddah, Malinaggi, McCloskey and Maidana. He is hungrier than all of them and he has great momentum coming into any fight with him. Amir Khan on the other hand seems to be psychologically hurt by the Peterson fight and from his interviews too you cannot help but feel that he feels threatened by Kell Brook and way that the fans and media have taken to him. Khan has said that he feels Kell is not a contender and has not earned the right to fight him… but I am sure he has done more than a certain McCloskey… funny how he changes his mind?!

Amir Khan – I believe that Kell Brook will teach you a lesson.