By Scott Gilfoid: Kell Brook (36-0, 25 KOs) doesn’t see himself as a welterweight. He feels that he’s in between junior middleweight and middleweight. In other words, Brook sees himself as a small middleweight that has been draining down to fight at 147 against welterweights his entire career.
Brook will be testing himself against the best fighter in the middleweight division in Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) on September 10 at the O2 Arena in London, UK. Brook says he’s going to beat Golovkin with his speed and punching power.
Brook feels that his power is enough to stop any fighter in the sport, and Golovkin is no exception. Brook wants to KO Golovkin. However, if the KO isn’t there, then he’ll be satisfied with just getting the win by a decision.
“You know what’s going to happen? I’m going to win this fight,” said Brook to IFL TV. “I’m going to beat him because I’ve got the speed and the power up at 160. 100 percent [I’m going to win]. Look at the size of me now. I’m not coming up. I’m coming down in weight. So I’m going to be a beast on September 10. He knows I’m a really big guy. People say the weight issue is going to be big in this fight. I don’t think it is. I’m more vicious in sparring when I’m around 160, when I’m still coming down in weight. I’m more vicious and more healthy. I’m really excited to get inside the ring at 160 and show what I can do. A full 100 percent is going to come out of me in this fight. I’m going from welterweight to middleweight,” said Brook.
Brook is thinking too much about the size and his own punching power. He’s not thinking enough about Golovkin’s power. That’s the real problem in this fight. It doesn’t matter if Brook is nearly the same size as Golovkin or if he’s hitting hard. He’s still not going to be hitting hard as Golovkin or as hard as some of the guys that he’s beaten during his career. Curtis Stevens and David Lemieux are harder punchers than Brook could ever hope to be. It doesn’t matter that he’s going to be heavier for this fight. It’s not going to change his punching power in any significant way. If anything, the extra weight is going to slow Brook down and cause him to have stamina problems in the later rounds if he makes it that far in the fight. We saw with Amir Khan after he bulked up for his fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
Khan was so committed to bulking up that he totally forgot what it would do to his stamina. I suspect we’re going to see the same thing with Brook. When you get a fight that is used to competing at a certain weight, they’re not the same when they suddenly come in heavier. Look at what happened with Brandon Rios when he recently when he rehydrated to 170 for his fight against Tim Bradley last year. Rios was previously accustomed to rehydrating to close to 160. When he suddenly added another 10 pounds, it slowed him down and made him beatable.
“I don’t know how to lose. I’m excited going into this fight. It was written in the stars for this fight,” said Brook. “I’m going to make history in this fight. I’m taking this opportunity to show the world I’m a special fighter. You’re going to see in the press conferences the size difference. You’re going to see that I don’t look two weights below him. I think I’m more in between light middle and middleweight, and I’ve got the power and the speed. I don’t think it’s going to be a massive difference in this fight. I’ve got the power to stop anyone at any weight, so absolutely; I’ll be looking to stop him. I’m also looking to win; that’s the main thing. I’ve never lost. I go in there to win. We haven’t seen the best of me. I think in this fight, we’re going to see all of me. I’m going to need all of me to beat this guy. This guy is no joke. I’m taking it very serious. Me at those higher weights, I’m going to bring the speed and I’m going to bring the power. I’m going to bring the will to win like I always like I always bring, and I always find a way to win. I feel like I’m going to be comfortable at middleweight – strong, healthy and thinking sharp,” said Brook.
I think Brook may not beat Golovkin, but I think he will out-talk him before the fight. That’s about the only area I can see Brook beating Golovkin. Brook will slaughter Golovkin in talking about himself and the fight, but I don’t think he’s going to do well at all against the Kazakhstan fighter.
