By Charles Brun: Amir Khan says he’s going to show Kell Brook who the better fighter is on Saturday night in their fight at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
This fight is viewed as a golden parachute for both fighters with both expected to get millions in their celebrity/old timers match-up.
Khan (34-5, 21 KOs) weighed in at 147.3 lbs and Brook at 148.3, well under the 149-lb catchweight limit for their fight on Sky Box Office PPV.
Both looked in excellent shape for the fight, which is good news for fans because they should be able to perform at their best.
In Brook’s last fight against Terence Crawford, it’s believed that his fourth round stoppage loss was a result of him being weighed drained from making the 147-lb limit.
If Brook loses on Saturday, hopefully, we don’t hear the excuses of him begin weight drained from getting down to the 149-lb limit.
Khan ready for Brook
“I made the weight so easily. I could have made welterweight if I wanted to,” said Amir Khan to Sky Sports Boxing immediately after weighing in. I weighed in at 147 1/2.
“It was nice and easy. We’ve seen each other head-to-head,” said Khan. “The next time we see each other is when we’re inside the ring. Kell Brook is going to be told and shown who the better fighter is,” said Khan.
Well, if Khan does win, it’s going to make his trainer Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre and Terence Crawford look like geniuses.
They’re the ones that have worked with Khan during camp and given him the game plan to defeat the bigger, stronger & tougher Brook.
Unfortunately, Bomac may have unwittingly spilled the game plan for Khan this week, with him losing his temper during the final press conference.
“Kell is obsessed with Khan because he believes he’s the better fighter,” said Johnny Nelson to Behind The Gloves.
“Khan has dismissed Kell’s successes. He’s made him jump through hopes to try and get this fight on. I was one of the first persons to say, ‘This fight is never going to happen.’
“I don’t believe them because of the fighter and the excuses that have been made.’ I thought, ‘He [Khan] don’t want it. He’s just playing that game.’
“Now, I think they’re [Khan & Brook] at the stage where I don’t think either fighter has anywhere else to go,” said Nelson. “But the kind of money they’re pulling in, for the kind of attention the TV companies are saying, ‘No, we want this fight. Otherwise, don’t waste our time with it,'” said Nelson.
This is a fight where even the winner has nowhere to go. Other than a rematch, it’s difficult to say where Khan and Brook can go from here.
Neither of them would deserve a title shot after their fight, as they’re clearly past it and undeserving of a crack at one of the champions.
Khan & Brook making big money
“A lot, and the numbers are high, I’m hearing in the pay-per-view,” Nelson said when asked how much money Khan and Brook are getting for their fight on Saturday night.
“They’re getting paid a lot to the point where they could afford to come in overweight and give up a couple of hundred thousand per pound.
“I think the money is a great bonus, but this isn’t about the money. This is about legacy. Who will it affect the most, the loss? I think Amir. Amir is the one that has made a name for himself in America. He’s the one that said, “Kell doesn’t belong in the ring with me. Who is he?’
So for Amir, it hits him the most, but it still kills Kell. I good pay-per-view fight is one where you don’t know who is going to win. Kell is my boy. I’d like Kell to win, but I wouldn’t put my house on it.
“When Amir Khan boxed Terence Crawford, I’ve always been a fan of Amir’s speed. When he boxed Terence Crawford, he was beaten by a jab.
“He was beaten to the jab and beaten to the counter. He was so vulnerable because he didn’t have his speed. You realize that was his strength, like Samson with his hair.
“Without the speed, he’s beatable. Kell, if that timing is gone, and if that vulnerability with the eyes is still fragile. So if he gets popped in the eye, those demons are going to come into his head. ‘Is this worth it?’ So both fighters are very vulnerable,” Nelson said.
Brook should win the fight based on his power, and his ability to walk down Khan to land his big power shots.
But the way that Brook fell apart against Crawford from a weak punch, has this writer worried about whether he still has his punches resistance.
Nelson: Khan’s body looked old
“Kell has got to be smart with educated pressure and wait until after three rounds to put the pressure on and make Khan work at a pace he doesn’t want to work,” Nelson said.
“When they weighed in, Khan’s body looked old. He had abs, but his body looked old. Kell looked like a racehorse. So now you’ve got to think for yourself, ten years ago, if this fight were made, it would have been mad.
“Now this fight has been made too late or on time. There’s going to be more action in this fight than there would have been five years ago or ten years ago because both fighters have slowed down, and both of them have deteriorated.
“Both fighters can’t afford to lose. They’ll have to be pulled out because they’ll leave it all in the ring rather than risk getting turned over by the other fighter.
“For both fighters, I would personally retire if they weren’t going to fight each other again,” said Nelson. “For Amir, I gather [a rematch clause].
“So for both fighters, I say retire because you’re only going to be a gatekeeper for the young bucks coming through. You don’t want to be remembered for that.
“You want to be remembered for beating Amir Khan or beating Kell Brook. You want to be remembered for everything you achieved. So the common sense if, I’ve done that, drop the mic, I’m gone, I’m done,” said Nelson.
I don’t know what Nelson is banging on about in talking about Khan’s physique looking old. As far as I can tell, Khan looked the same as usual and not different from how it was in the past.
Anyway, it’s not Khan’s body that will fail him on Saturday night if he gets nailed by one of Brook’s big shots. It’s going to be his fragile chin.
Complete weights for Saturday:
Amir Khan 147.3 vs. Kell Brook 148.3
Natasha Jonas 149.5 vs. Chris Namus 147.5
(WBO female super welterweight title)
Frazer Clarke 256 vs. Jake Darnell 248.5
Adam Azim 138.4 vs. Jordan Ellison 138.5
Brad Rea 160.5 vs. Craig McCarthy 161.5
Viddal Riley 199 vs. Willbeforce Shihepo 198.5
Charlie Schofield 168 vs. Germaine Brown 168
Abdul Khan 127 vs. Ricky Starkey 128.5
Ibrahim Nadim 123.5 vs. Taka Bembere 129.5
Hassan Azim 150 vs. MJ Hall 148
