By Adam Mccoy: Kell “Special K” Brook (33-0 22KO) has finally accomplished his dream when he defeated a very game Shawn Porter last year at the Stubhub Centre in Carson, California. Despite other British greats let me remind you Kell Brook was the first British boxer to win a world title against an American in the states.
Brook was a huge underdog going into the fight after Porter’s wins over Devon Alexander and effectively retiring Paulie Malignaggi. Against all odds brook produced a boxer masterclass that had Porters power shots missing wildly. Kell brook now has the world at his feet and the fights he has available are fights he could only dream of some years ago providing there is no slip ups against mandatory Jo Jo Dan in two weeks.
Despite the fact Brook is unbeaten and the IBF welterweight champion he hates the fact his bitter rival Amir Khan has been there and done it all. When Amir Khan defeated Andreas Kotelnik to win the world championship Brook was on the undercard defending his Lonsdale belt. Following this Khan successfully defended his world title 5 times defeating Dmitry Salita in a devastating first round KO. Before taking his career to the states with a dominating performance against Paulie Malignaggi where Khan beat his opponent to every punch showing blistering hand speed. By this point the world has gone Khan crazy and his name had already been mentioned for a big Mayweather fight. In a fight of the year classic Amir would defeat the hard hitting Maidana taking some devastating shots and showing great heart and desire to continue. After many high profile fights Khan is considered a top name in the sport after unifying titles at 140lb and already looking a strong force at welterweight.
Now onto Kell Brook who despite being world champion he has lived in the shadows of his rival. Kell is unbeaten but the opponents he has faced have been far less than impressive. Many of his fights have been staged in his home town of Sheffield and has only recently become a talking point in the sport. Kell has called Amir Khan out for many years and has never managed to get Khan to agree to the fight. I personally have agreed with Khan in declining these challenges over the years. While Khan has been unifying titles in America Kell has been defeating opposition such as Jennings, N’Dou, Galarza and Jackiewicz. Kell also won a British showdown with Matthew Hatton. When Brook started upping his opposition he struggled and gassed out against Carson Jones in a majority decision victory. It has been nothing but positives since the shaky performance against Jones. Kell forced himself into a mandatory challenger position for then champion Devon Alexander however due to injuries and setbacks the fight never took place but when Brook finally got the shot he snatched it with both hands.
Which brings us to today should Kell Brook ignore future fights with the likes of Marcos Maidana, Juan Marquez and Timothy Bradley to face Amir Khan, it’s a definite yes! Kell needs to step out of Khans shadow and prove that despite lacking behind in recent years Kell is the better fighter. Amir has the background the popularity and defeating Khan would mean more to Kell than defeating any of the mentioned opposition and finally show he is the better man. Kell wants the fight badly but in my opinion he needs the fight badly. Should Amir Khan fight Kell Brook? Until recently I have been on Khans side in agreeing that Brook is unworthy of facing Khan however things have changed. Despite Khan saying Brook isn’t on his level I believe Khan’s ego has got the better of him. He has missed out several times in securing a Mayweather fight and let’s be honest his recent wins have been nothing special however I must admit he was fantastic against Devon Alexander. Khan has name called Mayweather, Manny, Cotto and the likes of Bradley and Broner. Khan can name call all he wants but at the moment he has no pull at all. He is still rebuilding his career and has no titles to make him an interesting fight. Khan and Brook can fill a stadium in the UK and the winner of that fight could potentially face Floyd or Manny. It’s all about the IBF championship and until Amir realizes that Kell Brook is the answer to getting the big fights he desires he will keep coming short.
I personally can’t pick a winner Khan has the better hand speed, movement and big fight experience however Kell Brook is undefeated and has perfect punch accuracy and we all know Khan is no stranger to tasting the canvas. If I was forced to pick a winner I think I’d go for a Amir Khan unanimous decision but Id love to hear your opinions. This fight needs to happen and hopefully Matchroom sports and Golden Boy Promotions can get the deal done. On a leaving note be sure to check out Brooks first defense against JoJo Dan on Saturday 28th live on Sky Sports.
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