By William Lloyd: Former light welterweight champion Amir Khan and Kell Brook had their kickoff press conference earlier today to discuss their February 19th headliner clash on Sky Box Office at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. The fight will be contested at a 149-lb catchweight.
Khan (34-5, 21 KOs) was a one-man show with him saying he wants to smash former IBF welterweight champion Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) in the face and move on to bigger and better things.
Brook, 35, vowed to end Khan’s career on the night to send him into a permanent retirement after he knocks him out. It’s difficult to say which of the two fighters will in because they’ve both been inactive for much of the last few years.
Khan took over the short today at the pressor, coming up with some excellent one-liners, sounding like a comedian at times. Amir was brilliant today with the deadpan delivery style of his one-liners.
Kell Brook: “Adam, you know how long this has been going on. 17 years this has been talked about. Even in negotiations, it’s been unbelievably hard work. It’s been on and it’s been off, but finally, we got it across the line.
“I’m ecstatic that the fans are going to get to see this fight that they’ve wanted to see for years. I’m just sick of people coming up to me saying, ‘When are you going to fight him.’
“Now, we’re going to go out there on February 19th in Manchester and that’s when Amir Khan hits the deck for the final time,” said Brook.
Amir Khan: “In the last ten years, I’ve fought two of the top pound-for-pound fighters. Maybe I got beat, but still, I’m fighting the best out there. I never ran from Kell, I never needed to obviously.
“What I’ve achieved in the sport speaks for itself. We’re here now crying about the past. At that time in the past, I didn’t think he [Brook] deserved the fight. But now at this stage, I’m waiting to give him a good shot in the face.
“I want to punch him in the face. That’s what it’s about. All that big talk that he’s been saying, ‘I’m going to do this, and I’m going to do that.’ Come February 19th, we’re going to see what he’s going to do and back those words up.
“I’ve fought the best around the world and I’ve conquered America. For me to give the British fans this fight, I am going levels down because people want to see this fight. People want to see me punch him in the face.
“It’s my time to put him in his place and hopefully move on to bigger and better things,” said Khan in hinting that he’ll continue his inactive career beyond the fight with Brook.
