By Barry Holbrook: Kell Brook predicts that he’s going to be scoring stoppage of WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford this Saturday on ESPN in ‘The Bubble’ at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Despite being a clear underdog, Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) says he’ll either stop the 33-year-old Crawford outright or he’ll quit on his stool. The former IBF welterweight champion Brook believes that his size, power, and pedigree will be too much for Crawford to deal with.
Crawford is coming off of a close to a year layoff, and he’s going to have some ring rust for sure. He hadn’t fought since last December when he stopped WBO mandatory Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the ninth round.
Brook feels that he’s got the offense to more than match Crawford, and he’s not worried about him switching from southpaw to orthodox with his stance. According to Brook, fighters changing stances against him doesn’t phase him one.
That’s stuff they do all the time during training, and he’s not going to be thrown off by Crawford fighting out of the southpaw or orthodox stance on Saturday. If Crawford is going to beat Brook, he’ll need to do it without gimmicks.
Brook: I can match whatever Crawford brings
“He’s going to have a rude awakening; I’ll tell you that. He’s going to have a rude awakening,” Brook said when told that Crawford has compiled a list of four fighters he wants to face before retiring, and Kell’s name isn’t on the list.
“I stop him, or he quits on the stool. I’m fully focused; I’ve never been ready for a fight like this before. Looking forward to whatever Terence brings because I can match him. I’m ready for a war.
“On Saturday night when he gets in there, he’s going to learn real quick and real fast in the fight that he should have put me on top of that list. Yeah, I hope he is, I hope he is,” Brook said about him, hoping Crawford is overlooking him. “I’m coming with force.
“Forget the weight. The weight is made,” said Brook on Monday. “You’ve got to put it above Shawn Porter. With everyone writing me off, and this is the pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
“You’ve got to put it as #1. Nobody has done that in history from Britain. My style, I can box orthodox, southpaw. I’ve got great balance and great timing. I’m a big welterweight, the power is there, and the mindset is there,” said Kell.
If Brook does stop Crawford, it would be one of the biggest comebacks in the sport of British boxing. Many fans have written Brook off, seeing him as over-the-hill and having a slim chance of defeating Crawford.
You could tell that Brook is tired of hearing the comments from the doubting fans, and he wants to get on with the fight. He knows that the majority of the boxing world is giving him no shot at winning. So it’s pointless for him to hear fans’ comments due to the lack of support he’s getting.
If Brook can defeat Crawford, many fans would need to admit that they were wrong about him. Also, fans would need to come to terms with the fact that they overestimated Crawford’s ability.
People have Crawford as the #1 pound-for-pound, but he’s never fought anyone during his career for him to earn that ranking, certainly not at 147.
The opposition that Crawford has fought at 147 has been woefully bad, with his four wins coming against these fighters:
- Jeff Horn
- Jose Benavidez Jr
- Amir Khan
- Egidijus Kavaliauskas
Kell expects Crawford will want a rematch after losing
“I’m definitely a scary fighter, and I’m dangerous for any fighter in any weight division in the world,” Kell said. “I’m very focused, and this is my moment now. I’ll be able to compete with the best, and you’ll see me from round one to take control of this fight.
“Yeah, those chocolate brownies are definitely brewing up, they’re cooking up nicely now, and I am the bigger guy,” said Brook. “It’s all about preparation. I’ve been dieting for months, and you’ll see the hard work on Saturday night. You’ll see me refueled, relaxed, and ready to let those brownies go.
“I know I’m stronger than ever, and my surgeon looked after me really well,” Kell said. “The outcome turned out really well, and I’m ready to walk through walls now.
“I’m going to be victorious, and then I’m going to be fighting Terence Crawford in the rematch. It looks like I’ll be fighting again,” Brook said.
It’s probably safe to say that Crawford will insist on a rematch with Brook if he loses to him on Saturday night. Seeing that this is a voluntary defense for Terence, he’s obviously got a rematch clause in the contract.
It can get bad for Crawford if he loses twice in a row to Brook, which would be a complete disaster for the Nebraska native.
When elite fighters lose twice in a row to the same guy, the fans immediately downgrade that fighter, and it’s hard to come back from that. If Crawford loses to Brook on Saturday, he needs to think hard before deciding on whether to take a rematch.
It could be that Brook has Crawford’s number and would beat him no matter how many times they fight. What do know is that Brook is bigger, stronger, and more experienced than Crawford in world-level fights.
Brook has been in with these elite-level fighters:
- Gennady Golovkin
- Errol Spence Jr
- Shawn Porter
Crawford’s best opponents:
- Amir Khan
- Yuriorkis Gamboa
- Viktor Postol
- Ricky Burns
Brook ready to overwhelm Crawford
“They can expect fireworks,” Brook continued. “I’ve been here before, I’ve been on the stage, I’ve been in with top fighters in Golovkin and Errol Spence. I ripped the title away from Shawn Porter in America.
“I know what it takes to be a champion. We’ve been through the game plan, and we know what to do to win this fight. I’m fit, I’m lean, I’m a fighting machine, and I’m ready to go.
“I’ve been working every day on what I need to do to beat someone like Terence. I’ve been in this sport for 25 years. I know what to do. I’ve been a world champion, and I know what it takes to be the best.
“I’m ready to go. And I’ve got the accuracy, I’ve got the size, and I’ve got everything it takes to be a champion. I’ve got the desire. And I’ve got the power to overwhelm Crawford.
“And I’m not focusing on what people say because most of them are negative. I’m focusing on what my team and I need to do, and that’s to be victorious on Saturday night.
“That’s the main thing. I’m not focused on Amir Khan. I’m focused on Terence Crawford. So let’s talk, Terence,” an irritated Brook said.
Brook needs to make it a rough fight for him to win on Saturday because Crawford will box him if he’s not comfortable with Kell’s power. Crawford is capable of making it boring by staying on the outside and jabbing his to a win.
Brook can’t just let Crawford pot shot and jab from the outside if he wants to beat him. Crawford’s weakness is his inside game. He’s not a great inside fighter, and he stands too tall, and his head ricochets when he gets walloped.
He doesn’t have a strong neck, and fighters with power can hurt him. Gamboa and Kavaliauskas both had Crawford hurt.