By Pete Strauss: Kell Brook has agreed to Amir Khan’s recent call-out of him for a mega-fight in 2021. Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) believes Khan about wanting to fight him, and this they can get the fight signed quickly to make it a reality.
It would have been better for the former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Khan (34-5, 21 KOs) and former IBF 147-lb champ Brook to have fought in their primes between 2010 to 2014, but it just never happened.
There’s still a lot of money to be made for Khan and Brook, both 34, as long as they get the match done this year. It’s not a fight that can be pushed into 2021 or later, as both guys badly fade at this point in their careers.
Brook was just knocked out by Terence Crawford in the fourth round last November, and the punch that he was hurt with was a jab-like hook.
Kell Brook not sure if Khan is serious
Some boxing fans believe that Brook’s poor showing against WBO welterweight champion Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) is the reason why Khan wants to fight him.
When Brook was still looking good, Khan continually turned up his nose to the idea of fighting him, making several excuses not to take the fight.
“I believe they [British boxing public] still want it. I think it’ll definitely catch fire again once we start promoting the fight,” said Brook to Talk Sport. “There’s only one winner and that’s me.”
“I don’t know if it’s a publicity stunt or if he does actually want it,” said Brook about Khan. It sounds like he does. I’ve got the shot and I’ll find a way to catch his chin and end the night.”
There’s no question that Brook still possesses the pop in his punches to knock Khan out if he catches him with anything. Brook’s shots were doing a lot of damage to Crawford’s face after just three rounds.
Crawford’s face was swollen at the end of the fight, and he looked and talked like he’d been through a 12 round war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRxhbN27Lvc&t=4s
Crawford has never taken that kind of punishment before in any of his fights as a professional. It’s not hard to imagine that Crawford would have fallen apart if Brook had made it to the later contest rounds.
Khan calls out Brook
“I think someone like Kell Brook, who has always been running his mouth, I think put him in his place now,” said Khan to the Khaleej Times last December.
“I think it is about time now to put him in his place and shut him up for good.
Khan is probably betting that he’ll be able to hurt Brook with a shot that he doesn’t see coming like the weak right hook that Crawford stunned him with.
It’ll be interesting to see if British boxing fans will be willing to purchase the Khan vs. Brook fight on Sky Box Office. Khan – Brook would be an old timer’s type of fight for all intents and purposes, similar to Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr.
Will UK fans pay to see Khan vs. Brook?
If the UK fans were persuaded to purchase the Amir vs. Kell fight on Sky Box Office pay-per-view, they would be doing it based on what these fighters used to be rather than what they are now.
With the trash-talking ability that Kell and Amir have, they’ll get many boxing fans interested in their fight. Giving many interviews and posting on social media will result in Khan and Brook attracting a lot of fan interest in their clash.
Khan and Brook are both absolutely shot at this point in their respective careers. Interestingly, their careers went downhill more from inactivity them from them losing each time they stepped up and suffering a bunch of losses.
Brook made a ton of money from his fights with Gennadiy Golovkin and Errol Spence, and he never showed the motivation to stay busy with his career after suddenly becoming rich.
As for Khan, he seemed to lose motivation after losing consecutive fights to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia in 2011 and 2012. After those defeats, Khan wasted a lot of time rebuilding, and it was pointless.
He didn’t need to put all the effort into revamping his game, as he never changed anything. Khan’s real problem was his chin, and that’s something that couldn’t be fixed no matter how many tune-ups fights he took.