Kell Brook beats Amir Khan in sixth round to settle bitter rivalry

[MenInG]

Amir Khan will face fellow former world champion Kell Brook at the AO Arena in Manchester on 19 February.

After years of failed negotiations, the long-term rivals have finally agreed to the all-British clash.

Brook, 35, has not fought since being stopped in the fourth round by American Terence Crawford in November 2020, while Khan won a points decision over Australia's Billy Dib in January.

The fight will be on pay-per-view in the UK under the Boxxer promotion.

Khan boasts a professional record of 34 wins with five defeats, having shot to stardom after winning silver at the 2004 Olympic Games.

The 34-year-old Bolton fighter won his first world title in his 22nd fight when he defeated Andriy Kotelkik for the WBA light-welterweight belt in 2009, and has also held the IBF title in 2011.

Sheffield's Brook has won 29 bouts with three defeats and was IBF welterweight champion between August 2014 and May 2017.

A rivalry dating back to 2010
The fight has been a long time coming, with a rivalry which dates back more than a decade.

In 2010, when Khan held the WBA super-lightweight title, Brook called out the champion. Two years later, in October 2012, the fighters sat side-by-side on Sky Sports boxing show Ringside, with both men relaying their own versions of sparring stories on how they "schooled" the other.

The fight did not materialise as Khan relocated to the United States. Despite back-to-back losses against Lamont Peterson via a controversial split decision and a knockout defeat by Danny Garcia, he was still a big draw in the US and recorded impressive wins against Luis Collazo and Devon Alexander.

Meanwhile, Brook focused on his own charge towards a world title and enjoyed arguably his greatest night in the sport in 2014 when he defeated American Shawn Porter on points in California to become IBF welterweight champion.

The bad blood continued
After Brook defended that title with a fourth-round victory over Jo Jo Dan the following year, he once again called out Khan.

But Khan said "Brook has to wait" and instead tried to pursue fights with pound-for-pound stars Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, bouts he felt would have a greater global appeal.

In May 2016, Khan moved up weight divisions and was sensationally knocked out by Mexican Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

In September 2016, Brook suffered a broken right eye socket in a middleweight defeat by Gennadiy Golovkin, then eight months later he broke his left eye socket - and lost his IBF welterweight title - when he was stopped by Errol Spence Jr.

Two years later, Brook said Amir Khan has "let the public down" and blamed him for a fight between the two not taking place.

Both boxers tasted defeat again when they came up short against Crawford, Khan being pulled out by his corner in the sixth round after alleging he was hit by a low blow in their 2019 bout.

Khan and Brook have both fought just four times in the past three and a half years. By the time they meet in Manchester, they will have been out of the ring for more than a year.

With losses on their records, inactivity and both arguably past their prime, it seemed a clash between Khan and Brook would pass us by.

'Past their prime but deserving of a pay day'

BBC Sport's Kal Sajad

While some fans may feel it is a case of 'better late than never', Khan v Book is not the fight it once could have been. At one point, this was the biggest all-British clash in boxing and could have sold out any stadium in the country.

Although they may be far from being in their prime, there is genuine animosity between two fighters who have traded words for several years. Boxing has treated us to a plethora of 'grudges' between rivals in the past, and there are not many bigger than this. The build-up will be fun.

There are suggestions from some in boxing - including Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn - that both fighters are searching for one last pay day. Khan and Brook have treated us to some magnificent nights in the sport; from Khan 'cracking America' and a willingness to always take on the best to Brook entertaining us with some sublime performances, none better than his win against Porter.

For all they have achieved in the sport, and the way in which they have represented British boxing on the world scene, perhaps they are deserving of that pay day.

BBC

 

[mastimasti]

If Sky was serious about rejuvenating boxing on their sports channels, this would be part of the subscription service not a pay per view. Khan was last a legit name in the business in 2015 and Brook has never been (imo a bigger, stronger welterweight though).

Silly stuff, the PPV will flop and Sky is likely going to drop boxing like HBO did.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Both are over the hill now. They will do some crazy stunts or trash talking to ensure there is enough PPV sales, otherwise this fight is of little interest to fight fans now.

Brook can KO Khan but Khan can do the same. A 50/50 fight but whoever loses will be laughed at for the rest of their life.

 

[shaz619]

Both are over the hill now. They will do some crazy stunts or trash talking to ensure there is enough PPV sales, otherwise this fight is of little interest to fight fans now.

Brook can KO Khan but Khan can do the same. A 50/50 fight but whoever loses will be laughed at for the rest of their life.

I think the PPV numbers will do decently, this will be sold mainly to the casual audience and I’ve noticed even those who have complained about it have indirectly promoted the fight, it’s been all over the TL. For the most part, when you find two past it fighters tangle; it tends to make for an exciting / dramatic fight, but you wont see finesse from either man. Khan is probably thinking win or lose he will get vilified regardless so it’s a decent punt to make a few extra quid on the way out, Brook on the other hand will be desperate to fund his trips to Tenerife. Out of the two I’d say Brook would defo take the L harder, but I think I’d lean towards him being the odds on favourite due to his size and slightly better activity, issue with AK is from what I’ve seen, he has lost his legs, doesn’t glide around the ring like he use to. In terms of age, while both do have mileage on the clock, they still have that potential to find a second wind at a high level but the motivation and desire is simply not there, having said that, in and around 147 lb, both are probably still the best in the UK which is pretty glaring when looking at the domestic competition with the likes of Liam Smith, Conor Benn and Josh Kelly, either not quiet there yet or stuck just above the domestic level

 

[shaz619]

The most hilarious thing about the promotion is that Eddie Hearn is not involved lol must really wind that mug up

 

[SpiritOf1903]

If Sky was serious about rejuvenating boxing on their sports channels, this would be part of the subscription service not a pay per view. Khan was last a legit name in the business in 2015 and Brook has never been (imo a bigger, stronger welterweight though).

Silly stuff, the PPV will flop and Sky is likely going to drop boxing like HBO did.

Sky are focusing on domestic fights and the gimmick championships nowadays. Hearn taken his stable to Dazn and BT get the decent intl fights.

One last bit of ignominy for Khan who's not heard of quitting while ahead. Pacquiao Floyd this isn't

 

[shokz1408]

Brook to KO khan within first 3 rounds. Looking forward to the fight.

 

[mazkhan]

Both fighters are washed up and past it now.

But I think ingle was spot on

Brook will win , khan's inactivity , endurance
,heart and resilience are over

I knew it was over when he quit against crawford , because the old khan would never have done that but gone down with his shield.

 

[shaz619]

Sky are focusing on domestic fights and the gimmick championships nowadays. Hearn taken his stable to Dazn and BT get the decent intl fights.

One last bit of ignominy for Khan who's not heard of quitting while ahead. Pacquiao Floyd this isn't

Hearn had a contract to deliver an x number of fights on sky sports and an x number on sky sports box office, once his biggest cash cow was nearing its final milking, he jumped ship to the comforts of a streaming platform in a new market, this is the bloke who put Kell at his peak on PPV for fights against Frankie Gavin and No No Dan, the bloke has been a con artist mainly making casuals dance to his tunes with his big mouth and massive ego, he did little for the growth of his roster and relied heavily on a cash cow which wasn’t exactly the toughest sell.

Sky may have been lacking on PPV and especially when you consider the cost but actually, the fights on sky sports have been decent, Crawford/Porter being a recent example and we have Eubank/Williams, Lomachenko/Commey, Beterbiev/Browne all booked in the next couple of months. They have also given the women a spotlight and it was a good step to give exposure to unknown talent through Ultimate Boxer, the promotional company Boxxer has also made significant strides lately and grown their roster

 

[shaz619]

Both fighters are washed up and past it now.

But I think ingle was spot on

Brook will win , khan's inactivity , endurance
,heart and resilience are over

I knew it was over when he quit against crawford , because the old khan would never have done that but gone down with his shield.

They are past it but that can still make an exciting or dramatic fight potentially, I’ve seen many criticise it for the long delay but they will all tune in some form, especially the big casual audience. I’d be inclined to agree with Ingle’s logic there and KB will be the favourite, but the heart bit is one which is difficult to agree with entirely, I give him benefit of the doubt due to his resume and also the fact that it was Hunter’s decision to pull him out against Crawford rather then take the full 5 min, the ending may have been inevitable but he was beginning to pick up on TC’s rhythm and have a little more success as we saw with the big right towards the end of the 5th I think. If it was obvious, e.g Brook’s corner throwing a premeditated towel vs GGG or taking a knee e.g vs Spence then that would be a bit more adamant and also when that is supported by a largely protected / padded resume.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

They are past it but that can still make an exciting or dramatic fight potentially, I’ve seen many criticise it for the long delay but they will all tune in some form, especially the big casual audience. I’d be inclined to agree with Ingle’s logic there and KB will be the favourite, but the heart bit is one which is difficult to agree with entirely, I give him benefit of the doubt due to his resume and also the fact that it was Hunter’s decision to pull him out against Crawford rather then take the full 5 min, the ending may have been inevitable but he was beginning to pick up on TC’s rhythm and have a little more success as we saw with the big right towards the end of the 5th I think. If it was obvious, e.g Brook’s corner throwing a premeditated towel vs GGG or taking a knee e.g vs Spence then that would be a bit more adamant and also when that is supported by a largely protected / padded resume.

I don't usually buy PPV boxing, just not that interested in today's fighters. There doesn't seem to be the genuine competition between top fighters these days, you usually have one outstanding fighter dominating the whole division, that too on technical ability rather than box office KO power.

Must admit I'm tempted by this one though. Yes they are both over the hill, but it will be an exciting fight. I agree that Khan will probably lose as he's not been taking boxing seriously for the last few years, and that will make him slower and softer. His game was all about lightning speed, and he doesn't have that now. Brook is also degraded, but he can usually take a punch so in a war, you would imagine he would be the one still standing at the end.

 

[shaz619]

I don't usually buy PPV boxing, just not that interested in today's fighters. There doesn't seem to be the genuine competition between top fighters these days, you usually have one outstanding fighter dominating the whole division, that too on technical ability rather than box office KO power.

Must admit I'm tempted by this one though. Yes they are both over the hill, but it will be an exciting fight. I agree that Khan will probably lose as he's not been taking boxing seriously for the last few years, and that will make him slower and softer. His game was all about lightning speed, and he doesn't have that now. Brook is also degraded, but he can usually take a punch so in a war, you would imagine he would be the one still standing at the end.

Sky are probably still one of the biggest PPV platforms although they have competition from BT to (I don’t think this is a terrible PPV fight by their standards), am quiet selective myself, I bought Fury/Wilder and watched Crawford/Porter (not PPV but bought a day pass for sky sports), there are some great fights and match ups out there, some I feel worthy of PPV but they appeal to the enthusiasts more and end up on subscription like service.

On the surface it can seem that way but we have only a handful of undisputed champions and then those who have been able to claim the prestigious Ring Magazine title by beating the best in the division (9 out of 18 divisions), there is some very good competition, but on a P4P level the UK/US don’t command as much attention as they once did and the others can have personalities which might be a little bland. Historically, the boxer tends to do well against the puncher for the most part, it’s just the way the sweet science has been, you sometimes find special fighters like Roy Jones who combine the two and it’s amazing to see or even a prime Mike Tyson who was skilful defensively as he was offensively, when we’re talking box office power alone then Wilder is probably the best in that regard, don’t think there is any who relies on that as much as him and only he is capable of resorting to that, very few punchers out there like him, I’d put Naoya in the list to although he can box to and Crawford imo is a bit under rated, he is the most ruthless finisher in the sport, look what he did to Porter who was the natural welter.

Agree there, they are both roughly around the same point in their career and even past, that can make for a decent scrap. Khan doesn’t have the motivation anymore, his last trainer criticised him for not holding small training camps between fight camps which drastically affects his ability to measure distance and disturbs his rhythm, Khan will still have speed even if it isn’t what it was, but he has lost his legs and the lateral movement isn’t there - then again, would he even use it in a fight like this ? probably not, his defence in the pocket is horrible, Kell will also have a huge size advantage, he is already the bigger man but there’s a rehydration clause of 163.5 lb which is very generous, for ref the IBF (my fav organisation) only allow you to put on another 10lb during the second day weigh in, it will be sold heavily as a 50/50 fight, but with Khan’s inactivity, poor ring conditioning, not as much footwork, he has a puncher’s chance (hope to catch Kell with a lightning combo and hurt him), Kell should be favourite for a KO.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Sky are probably still one of the biggest PPV platforms although they have competition from BT to (I don’t think this is a terrible PPV fight by their standards), am quiet selective myself, I bought Fury/Wilder and watched Crawford/Porter (not PPV but bought a day pass for sky sports), there are some great fights and match ups out there, some I feel worthy of PPV but they appeal to the enthusiasts more and end up on subscription like service.

On the surface it can seem that way but we have only a handful of undisputed champions and then those who have been able to claim the prestigious Ring Magazine title by beating the best in the division (9 out of 18 divisions), there is some very good competition, but on a P4P level the UK/US don’t command as much attention as they once did and the others can have personalities which might be a little bland. Historically, the boxer tends to do well against the puncher for the most part, it’s just the way the sweet science has been, you sometimes find special fighters like Roy Jones who combine the two and it’s amazing to see or even a prime Mike Tyson who was skilful defensively as he was offensively, when we’re talking box office power alone then Wilder is probably the best in that regard, don’t think there is any who relies on that as much as him and only he is capable of resorting to that, very few punchers out there like him, I’d put Naoya in the list to although he can box to and Crawford imo is a bit under rated, he is the most ruthless finisher in the sport, look what he did to Porter who was the natural welter.

Agree there, they are both roughly around the same point in their career and even past, that can make for a decent scrap. Khan doesn’t have the motivation anymore, his last trainer criticised him for not holding small training camps between fight camps which drastically affects his ability to measure distance and disturbs his rhythm, Khan will still have speed even if it isn’t what it was, but he has lost his legs and the lateral movement isn’t there - then again, would he even use it in a fight like this ? probably not, his defence in the pocket is horrible, Kell will also have a huge size advantage, he is already the bigger man but there’s a rehydration clause of 163.5 lb which is very generous, for ref the IBF (my fav organisation) only allow you to put on another 10lb during the second day weigh in, it will be sold heavily as a 50/50 fight, but with Khan’s inactivity, poor ring conditioning, not as much footwork, he has a puncher’s chance (hope to catch Kell with a lightning combo and hurt him), Kell should be favourite for a KO.

Wilder was exciting to watch, but his boxing was really rudimentary and that got showed up big time against Fury. I've seen Wilder looking second best in boxing rounds previously as well, but he has such brutal power that he just blows them away at some point in the fight. That didn't work against Fury who had both the size and durability to keep him off. Not to mention he's a much better boxer technically.

You are probably right, there are probably some great fighters out there, just I am not usually prepared to pay to watch these days. Canelo's fights are the ones I usually consider. I think PPV has seen a lessening of interest in general, we only seem to get much hype around British fighters, there's not so much buzz around the American champs as there used to be.

 

[James]

If Sky was serious about rejuvenating boxing on their sports channels, this would be part of the subscription service not a pay per view. Khan was last a legit name in the business in 2015 and Brook has never been (imo a bigger, stronger welterweight though).

Silly stuff, the PPV will flop and Sky is likely going to drop boxing like HBO did.

Both are over the hill now. They will do some crazy stunts or trash talking to ensure there is enough PPV sales, otherwise this fight is of little interest to fight fans now.

Brook can KO Khan but Khan can do the same. A 50/50 fight but whoever loses will be laughed at for the rest of their life.

Yeah..... inclined to agree here.

The fight in question does not exactly fill me with excitement. I was surprised to even see it announced.

Unless it could be some kind of comeback kick for Amir Khan.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

If he had an ounce of belief he'd have beaten Canelo.. but alas concentration never been his speciality and the event will be defined by events outside the ring.

 

[KingKhanWC]

I think the PPV numbers will do decently, this will be sold mainly to the casual audience and IÂ’ve noticed even those who have complained about it have indirectly promoted the fight, itÂ’s been all over the TL. For the most part, when you find two past it fighters tangle; it tends to make for an exciting / dramatic fight, but you wont see finesse from either man. Khan is probably thinking win or lose he will get vilified regardless so itÂ’s a decent punt to make a few extra quid on the way out, Brook on the other hand will be desperate to fund his trips to Tenerife. Out of the two IÂ’d say Brook would defo take the L harder, but I think IÂ’d lean towards him being the odds on favourite due to his size and slightly better activity, issue with AK is from what IÂ’ve seen, he has lost his legs, doesnÂ’t glide around the ring like he use to. In terms of age, while both do have mileage on the clock, they still have that potential to find a second wind at a high level but the motivation and desire is simply not there, having said that, in and around 147 lb, both are probably still the best in the UK which is pretty glaring when looking at the domestic competition with the likes of Liam Smith, Conor Benn and Josh Kelly, either not quiet there yet or stuck just above the domestic level

fund his trips to Tenerife lol

I kind of agree but I think Khan will be highly motivated. He is also training with the Crawford camp. If Crawford can give him rounds in sparring , he will be in top shape coming into this. Its interesting they are fighting at 149 catchweight, meaning both may struggle to make welterweight.

Khan won the presser though, made Kell look a right numpty.
[MENTION=8]MIG[/MENTION] please can we have a fresh thread on Brook v Khan, its a much bigger fight than Billy Dib.

 

[Saj]

About time this fight was on.

They've been trying to get this sorted for a long time and finally it's on.

Brook to win?

 

[ElRaja]

lol, about 10 years too late, will pbly watch it, obvs want khan to win but makes u think.. whats the point

 

[shaz619]

fund his trips to Tenerife lol

I kind of agree but I think Khan will be highly motivated. He is also training with the Crawford camp. If Crawford can give him rounds in sparring , he will be in top shape coming into this. Its interesting they are fighting at 149 catchweight, meaning both may struggle to make welterweight.

Khan won the presser though, made Kell look a right numpty.
[MENTION=8]MIG[/MENTION] please can we have a fresh thread on Brook v Khan, its a much bigger fight than Billy Dib.

After the presser, win or lose I think Khan will fight again, almost like a tune up (although no disrespect to Kell), I could see Khan facing Broner after this. Kell his entire career has chased Khan and this will be his biggest pay day, probably his final one.

Thing with Amir is, he is always motivated when in training camp, the guy trains hard and is smart enough to avoid getting a niggle or two for the most part. However, when not in camp, as Virgil said, he needs to hold several mini camps to make sure his timing and rhythm are there, his ability to measure distance etc he tends to behave like a retired fighter at times with the numerous projects away from the ring. But the link with Bo-Mac and Crawford is certainly interesting, both have a vast pool of knowledge, in any case, he’d have to fight his instincts to trade which has been a big concern in his career. Am not sure what to expect but the last I saw him against Vargas and Crawford, he had lost a step in terms of his lateral movement.

Normally, if he was active I think it would have been made at 147 lb but Khan also probably thinks he may struggle with that so agreed with 149lb, there is also a surprising rehydration clause of 163.5lb (didn’t think AK would agree with that) for the second day weigh in which suits Kell although he is the naturally bigger guy regardless.

He was definitely made to look like a numpty in the presser lol the Sheffield man has never been the most eloquent.

With Eddie, Kell couldn’t get this fight for 10 years but without him it’s done in a matter of weeks sky deserve credit to and without Hearn on their books, they are actually doing a splendid job through the Boxxer promotion and their sky sports boxing channel, giving outstanding talent like Adam Azim exposure, he is one to look out for mate, I am high on him, surprised he has turned pro because he was a favourite to get picked for the Team GB Boxing team in the next Olympics.

 

[shaz619]

About time this fight was on.

They've been trying to get this sorted for a long time and finally it's on.

Brook to win?

It will be interesting to look at the odds, I’d lean towards Brook to but amongst peer’s in the sport, the opinion is split. If Khan’s defence holds up, it should be a cracking fight, it might be a bit late but both are at the same point in their career’s and the playing field is levelled with Kell having the size advantage as he has always operated at 147 lb for majority of his career while Khan started out at 135 lb and moved up weight classes.

I hope the under card is a strong one.

 

[finalfantasy7]

well the fight weight will be at 149lbs - as brook cant slim down to 147 - as already reported by khan and boxing outlets

 

[Waq]

I’d love for Khan to win but this is far from a certainty. I don’t agree that Khan is a quitter but he is chinny.

Brook on the other hand has not been ko’d by anybody I can think of and took a serious beating off GGG so is durable but lacks heart too perhaps.

None of this matters as these two despise each other and it’s personal and it will be a tear up. Make no mistake, Khan will be in the pocket more than usual to fight and will leave himself open to a big shot. I also believe Khan has no power at his weight to KO Brook unless he targets and injures Brook’s eye with sharp straight punches.

Brook looks to be super middle weight right now so he will be weight drained at 149lbs. Interestingly he has Dominic Ingle back as his trainer as he left previously to save money. That means to me that the camp will be better prepared in terms of fitness and cardio as he virtually trained himself against Crawford!

Khan is super connected in boxing as networking comes easy to many Pakistanis. I’m not sure how close he will train with Terence Crawford and his trainer but if he spars and trains regularly with TC then I’m intrigued. Being around the best can raise your levels again and Brook won’t get that level of sparring in Sheffield.

 

[shaz619]

well the fight weight will be at 149lbs - as brook cant slim down to 147 - as already reported by khan and boxing outlets

Khan hasn’t fought in a long time, I suspect he wants to stay on the safe side himself rather then have a difficult cut to 147 lb, Brook is back with ingle, they will get him down safely and have him in the best shape possible, the second day weigh in will help emphasise his size advantage to

 

[shaz619]

I’d love for Khan to win but this is far from a certainty. I don’t agree that Khan is a quitter but he is chinny.

Brook on the other hand has not been ko’d by anybody I can think of and took a serious beating off GGG so is durable but lacks heart too perhaps.

None of this matters as these two despise each other and it’s personal and it will be a tear up. Make no mistake, Khan will be in the pocket more than usual to fight and will leave himself open to a big shot. I also believe Khan has no power at his weight to KO Brook unless he targets and injures Brook’s eye with sharp straight punches.

Brook looks to be super middle weight right now so he will be weight drained at 149lbs. Interestingly he has Dominic Ingle back as his trainer as he left previously to save money. That means to me that the camp will be better prepared in terms of fitness and cardio as he virtually trained himself against Crawford!

Khan is super connected in boxing as networking comes easy to many Pakistanis. I’m not sure how close he will train with Terence Crawford and his trainer but if he spars and trains regularly with TC then I’m intrigued. Being around the best can raise your levels again and Brook won’t get that level of sparring in Sheffield.

Maybe not so much in Sheffield in and around up north high quality sparring is available, the ingle gym has a decorated history and they will prepare Brook well and bring in who they need

 

[shaz619]

Khan has been working in Omaha for a while but I don’t think he will be with Bo-mac that long before he shoots for Colorado, am interested to find out how he will prepare in the coming weeks but this year it seems he has been working with their team prior to the fight announcement and doing some conditioning

 

[Waq]

Maybe not so much in Sheffield in and around up north high quality sparring is available, the ingle gym has a decorated history and they will prepare Brook well and bring in who they need

I appreciate the pedigree of the Wincobank gym but I’m trying to emphasise the difference of training and sparring with Terence Crawford compared with a Kid Galahad. If Khan is around one of the worlds best fighters then he can develop / reignite a mindset that you simply cannot get in Sheffield.

Personally, assuming Brook is currently between 170 and 180lbs, I cannot see how he can safely go down to 149lbs and have a good technical camp. Brook like Khan has not competed much and both will have to incorporate lots of distancing, timing and sparring. If Khan can be at least competitive with Crawford in sparring then it will boost him.

 

[shaz619]

I appreciate the pedigree of the Wincobank gym but I’m trying to emphasise the difference of training and sparring with Terence Crawford compared with a Kid Galahad. If Khan is around one of the worlds best fighters then he can develop / reignite a mindset that you simply cannot get in Sheffield.

Personally, assuming Brook is currently between 170 and 180lbs, I cannot see how he can safely go down to 149lbs and have a good technical camp. Brook like Khan has not competed much and both will have to incorporate lots of distancing, timing and sparring. If Khan can be at least competitive with Crawford in sparring then it will boost him.

I highly doubt Kid will be used as much, a good gym like that is not going to just look local for sparring partners and I don’t think it’s such a straight forward comparison training when it comes to training with a well known P4P fighter compared to someone who is not, for example established gyms and fighters have used even highly regarded amateurs in the past to help mimic a specific attribute of their opponent, with Khan’s speed in mind, they could look for someone from the lower divisions or even amateurs, a TC wouldn’t necessarily help in that regard.

On the mindset, psychology and tactics part I am aware Bo-mac and co are very good at dissecting their opponents and breaking them down, they would have a fair bit to offer on Kell’e strengths and weaknesses to. Khan has already fought TC and was beaten convincingly, so on the confidence from sparring with TC bit don’t know if he”ll take too much from that, also Khan in the past has also been around legends and sparred with them to, it hasn’t necessarily translated to great results every time, it comes down to his ring maturity at this stage and how he is absorbing the information.

These guys are pro’s, I trust they will manage his cut well enough given their experience and even if it is a bit of a struggle, the re-hydration clause benefits Kell even though he was alluding to being annoyed by it

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I’d love for Khan to win but this is far from a certainty. I don’t agree that Khan is a quitter but he is chinny.

Brook on the other hand has not been ko’d by anybody I can think of and took a serious beating off GGG so is durable but lacks heart too perhaps.

None of this matters as these two despise each other and it’s personal and it will be a tear up. Make no mistake, Khan will be in the pocket more than usual to fight and will leave himself open to a big shot. I also believe Khan has no power at his weight to KO Brook unless he targets and injures Brook’s eye with sharp straight punches.

Brook looks to be super middle weight right now so he will be weight drained at 149lbs. Interestingly he has Dominic Ingle back as his trainer as he left previously to save money. That means to me that the camp will be better prepared in terms of fitness and cardio as he virtually trained himself against Crawford!

Khan is super connected in boxing as networking comes easy to many Pakistanis. I’m not sure how close he will train with Terence Crawford and his trainer but if he spars and trains regularly with TC then I’m intrigued. Being around the best can raise your levels again and Brook won’t get that level of sparring in Sheffield.

That's a super important point which doesn't get mentioned enough. Khan as a lightweight had KO power. As he's moved up the weights following a kebabs and donut lifestyle, he doesn't carry the same power. The guys he is up against are naturally bigger and more resilient. Khan will still beat them for speed most of the time, but when it comes to trading blows, it's not in his favour any more.

 

[shaz619]

That's a super important point which doesn't get mentioned enough. Khan as a lightweight had KO power. As he's moved up the weights following a kebabs and donut lifestyle, he doesn't carry the same power. The guys he is up against are naturally bigger and more resilient. Khan will still beat them for speed most of the time, but when it comes to trading blows, it's not in his favour any more.

I can see it from a few different angles that one, while in theory that’s true, if you look at the level opposition at lightweight it should tell a story, they were the best Britain had to offer, but naturally when you step up in class it’s not so easy to knock fighters out and Amir has a fantastic resume, he fought so many fighters who were either former world champions or world champion. The other thing is, when you move up weight division, naturally you wont always carry the same power you did in the lower divisions unless you are a freak of nature like Manny. Floyd is a good example of how his power progressed but it was also influenced by his style. After the second half of his career, his power regressed to a degree, that was partly due to his own awareness / realisation that it would happen as he moved up the weight classes and against bigger fighters it’s better to focus entirely on his defence, evasiveness and movement.

I think Amir had two peaks, one under Roach and one under Hunter. The Wild Card focus more on aggression, offence and exceptional conditioning; this saw mixed result because Amir went from stopping Zab Judah, Malignaggi and almost stopped Maidana in Rd 1 or 2 I think to being stopped by Garcia and having a war with Peterson, his defence wasn’t so fine tuned and his aggression could have been controlled better, but they had him sitting on his punches more.

But under Virgil when he moved up to 147 lb, he restrained Khan a lot more and tried to get him to use his head a bit and boxing ability - not completely loading up with his shots, feinting more and opening up opponents for fast sharp counters, this saw some incredible results when you go back and watch the demolition job of Devon Alexander, no one expected that and I know you are a fan of KO’s, but watch that fight, it was a systematic beating and schooling of a former world champion who had excellent boxing pedigree on a technical level, in my opinion that was the performance which put Floyd off because he rated Devon very highly himself. With Virgil he only lost to Canelo who was 2 divisions above him and by the time he fought Crawford he was past it but I felt by Rd 5 he was starting to pick up on his rhythm.

So it’s a combination of a few things imo, partly due to weight, partly due stepping up a few levels in terms of opponent quality and also mentality / style / school of thought ( Freddie: Offence, Virgil: Defence).

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I can see it from a few different angles that one, while in theory that’s true, if you look at the level opposition at lightweight it should tell a story, they were the best Britain had to offer, but naturally when you step up in class it’s not so easy to knock fighters out and Amir has a fantastic resume, he fought so many fighters who were either former world champions or world champion. The other thing is, when you move up weight division, naturally you wont always carry the same power you did in the lower divisions unless you are a freak of nature like Manny. Floyd is a good example of how his power progressed but it was also influenced by his style. After the second half of his career, his power regressed to a degree, that was partly due to his own awareness / realisation that it would happen as he moved up the weight classes and against bigger fighters it’s better to focus entirely on his defence, evasiveness and movement.

I think Amir had two peaks, one under Roach and one under Hunter. The Wild Card focus more on aggression, offence and exceptional conditioning; this saw mixed result because Amir went from stopping Zab Judah, Malignaggi and almost stopped Maidana in Rd 1 or 2 I think to being stopped by Garcia and having a war with Peterson, his defence wasn’t so fine tuned and his aggression could have been controlled better, but they had him sitting on his punches more.

But under Virgil when he moved up to 147 lb, he restrained Khan a lot more and tried to get him to use his head a bit and boxing ability - not completely loading up with his shots, feinting more and opening up opponents for fast sharp counters, this saw some incredible results when you go back and watch the demolition job of Devon Alexander, no one expected that and I know you are a fan of KO’s, but watch that fight, it was a systematic beating and schooling of a former world champion who had excellent boxing pedigree on a technical level, in my opinion that was the performance which put Floyd off because he rated Devon very highly himself. With Virgil he only lost to Canelo who was 2 divisions above him and by the time he fought Crawford he was past it but I felt by Rd 5 he was starting to pick up on his rhythm.

So it’s a combination of a few things imo, partly due to weight, partly due stepping up a few levels in terms of opponent quality and also mentality / style / school of thought ( Freddie: Offence, Virgil: Defence).

It's one of those win some, lose some scenarios. Khan in his earlier career boxed with his hands down, relying on speed and reflexes to weave in and out of harm's way. A lot of people thought this was crazy because sooner or later you are going to get hit and unless you have a good chin, it's lights out. But what gets missed is the fighters who box with low hands tend to have a different type of success offensively. The jabs are coming from low down so your opponent doesn't pick them up as well. I've seen this with some MMA fighters as well who are incredibly successful.

On the other hand, once Khan moved to Virgil's camp, he adopted an orthodox high guard, and while he did lose some unpredictability, he was quite a bit harder to KO. He'd get hit and wobbled, but because he was able to defend himself, quite often he'd be able to weather the storm. Even in the fights where he got put to sleep like against Canelo, he got hit by a counter when he was going for a big shot himself. Those always do more damage.

 

[silentkiller187]

One thing is for sure this fight has been in the making for so long, whoever loses will be the laughing stock for the rest of their lives

 

[Waq]

I highly doubt Kid will be used as much, a good gym like that is not going to just look local for sparring partners and I don’t think it’s such a straight forward comparison training when it comes to training with a well known P4P fighter compared to someone who is not, for example established gyms and fighters have used even highly regarded amateurs in the past to help mimic a specific attribute of their opponent, with Khan’s speed in mind, they could look for someone from the lower divisions or even amateurs, a TC wouldn’t necessarily help in that regard.

On the mindset, psychology and tactics part I am aware Bo-mac and co are very good at dissecting their opponents and breaking them down, they would have a fair bit to offer on Kell’e strengths and weaknesses to. Khan has already fought TC and was beaten convincingly, so on the confidence from sparring with TC bit don’t know if he”ll take too much from that, also Khan in the past has also been around legends and sparred with them to, it hasn’t necessarily translated to great results every time, it comes down to his ring maturity at this stage and how he is absorbing the information.

These guys are pro’s, I trust they will manage his cut well enough given their experience and even if it is a bit of a struggle, the re-hydration clause benefits Kell even though he was alluding to being annoyed by it

All very good points that I agree with

 

[shokz1408]

One thing is for sure this fight has been in the making for so long, whoever loses will be the laughing stock for the rest of their lives

I don’t think brook would be able to live with it. Khan has other things to be busy with, celeb life and all. But this is what brook has most wanted for over a decade, and now he’s finally got it. He’s got to win, and I’m predicting he will within first 3 rounds, if not the first. It’s a matter of who gets that good shot first, on khans chin or brooks eye socket. I just hope brooks eyes don’t mess up in this fight, because if they don’t I believe he KOs khan.

 

[shaz619]

It's one of those win some, lose some scenarios. Khan in his earlier career boxed with his hands down, relying on speed and reflexes to weave in and out of harm's way. A lot of people thought this was crazy because sooner or later you are going to get hit and unless you have a good chin, it's lights out. But what gets missed is the fighters who box with low hands tend to have a different type of success offensively. The jabs are coming from low down so your opponent doesn't pick them up as well. I've seen this with some MMA fighters as well who are incredibly successful.

On the other hand, once Khan moved to Virgil's camp, he adopted an orthodox high guard, and while he did lose some unpredictability, he was quite a bit harder to KO. He'd get hit and wobbled, but because he was able to defend himself, quite often he'd be able to weather the storm. Even in the fights where he got put to sleep like against Canelo, he got hit by a counter when he was going for a big shot himself. Those always do more damage.

That’s a good observation, he did that a lot in the early part of his career when transitioning between the amateur and pro style, I totally agree, the low guard shouldn’t be underestimated especially if you are aware of your offensive strengths, we’ve seen fighters such as Nas, Roy Jones Jnr, Froch, Mayweather and even Wlad have success with it in different ways.

Nas and Roy Jones Jnr used it to invite fighters to over-reach and then countered them, they also used it to create a different angle, if you even shadow box a bit in the mirror, it’s easier to land the jab with such a guard and you also get an extra few inches out of it, these two had great hand speed to and that helped a great deal. Carl Froch on the other hand didn’t have the reflex’s of the other two or the speed to create similar angles to counter opponents, but it worked for him due to his reach and granite chin, he was bound to get exposed though by a technician like Ward. Mayweather would hold his left hand to his chest protecting the body, rear hand to the chin to parry the jab and protected his chin partly with his left shoulder blocking punches with the shoulder roll, it’s so difficult to land on someone with the philly shell stance as it is but Floyd made it more difficult and created endless counter punching chances with his upper body movement such as making them reach further with the right hand as you lean back towards the right and use his footwork to, he had some incredible reflex’s even a bit later in his career and took great care of himself out the ring. Wladmir is an interesting one I never picked up on first because it isn’t so obvious when his style is stereotyped a lot as jab and grab, but his left was also kept a bit low, he’d paw with it, parry the other fighters jab and also disturb their ability to apply to torque to the right hand by pushing and prodding at their lead hand, it also helps conserve his energy, must be a pain for heavyweights to keep their left up for so long. Can’t forget Tyson Fury either, we’ve seen him numerous times with a low guard throwing feints and creating different angles of attack, we saw this best when he fought Wlad himself, in this case unfortunately Wlad’s low guard wasn’t going to work as well against a tall rangy opponent with a high ring IQ.

Yes, you see it a lot more often in MMA I reckon , also perhaps because they can prevent a takedown a bit easier or block a kick.

The Canelo loss in my view is overly criticised, he moved up to weights and there was no rehydration clause, it scares me to imagine the monumental weight advantage Canelo had on that night, even though Amir was doing really well in that fight, it’s the first time he was being outboxed, the weight advantage helped this but notice how Canelo continuously attacked the body, Amir was grimacing and trying his best to keep the hands up but with that much weight behind the shot it must have been winding him badly, eventually he was forced to drop his hands incrementally by a little bit each time and got caught with the overhand right, I just took a look at that in slow mo, it was brutal.

 

[Saj]

One thing is for sure this fight has been in the making for so long, whoever loses will be the laughing stock for the rest of their lives

Final pay day for the loser.

Make plenty of money, take flak for a bit and then retire with a boost to the bank balance.

 

[shokz1408]

Final pay day for the loser.

Make plenty of money, take flak for a bit and then retire with a boost to the bank balance.

That’s true, there’ll be enough money to cover any hurt feelings ha.

 

[James]

I’m still astonished by the flabbergasting amounts that professional boxers can pick up from the fight purse. I know that promoters are incredibly savvy and ensure that they contractually guarantee themselves a large cut as well, but the number of zeroes involved can be truly eye watering.

 

[shaz619]

I’m still astonished by the flabbergasting amounts that professional boxers can pick up from the fight purse. I know that promoters are incredibly savvy and ensure that they contractually guarantee themselves a large cut as well, but the number of zeroes involved can be truly eye watering.

If we’re talking flabbergasting amounts then little can compete with football from even the lower levels. With Boxing, we only tend to follow the best domestically to the world / elite level, but those on the undercard and journeymen fighters don’t make anywhere near as much, promoters also spend more on the main event as you’d expect. As for the amounts which fighters at the highest level are paid, they deserve every penny more then any other sportsman in the world when you consider what they put themselves through on a mental, technical and physical level, but also the obvious risks each man takes when they step between the ropes, it’s the most dangerous combat sport in the world and many gravitate to it in the same way they may gravitate towards the pleasing terrors from reading an M.R James short story, plus it can quiet easily be interpreted as a metaphor for the journey of our life and you can relate to the highs and lows of a 12 round battle / apply it to yourself. In my opinion, fighters are not made paid well enough, it’s blood money after all.

 

[James]

If we’re talking flabbergasting amounts then little can compete with football from even the lower levels. With Boxing, we only tend to follow the best domestically to the world / elite level, but those on the undercard and journeymen fighters don’t make anywhere near as much, promoters also spend more on the main event as you’d expect. As for the amounts which fighters at the highest level are paid, they deserve every penny more then any other sportsman in the world when you consider what they put themselves through on a mental, technical and physical level, but also the obvious risks each man takes when they step between the ropes, it’s the most dangerous combat sport in the world and many gravitate to it in the same way they may gravitate towards the pleasing terrors from reading an M.R James short story, plus it can quiet easily be interpreted as a metaphor for the journey of our life and you can relate to the highs and lows of a 12 round battle / apply it to yourself. In my opinion, fighters are not made paid well enough, it’s blood money after all.

On the whole, completely agree with you.

 

[Saj]

That’s true, there’ll be enough money to cover any hurt feelings ha.

And such a shame that this fight didn't happen when both fighters were at their peak.

Feels like it's come at a time when both are past their best.

 

[shokz1408]

And such a shame that this fight didn't happen when both fighters were at their peak.

Feels like it's come at a time when both are past their best.

Yeah it is a shame that it didn’t happen long ago, championship fights, one that would affect the direction of their careers. This is more or less a retirement match for both, that being said, I’m genuinely happy this will be happening, as it was unthinkable, it just felt like amir was never going to accept it and they’d retire.

Even if this is their last match, and even if it’s late in their career, they will give nothing less than their best come fight night, it means too much, and a loss is humiliating. And what makes this so exciting, is that it’s 50/50, power v speed, eyesocket v glass chin, so many variables. It’s going to be tense, especially when they get in that ring and bell rings. One things for sure for me, someone is getting knocked down in round 1, I feel khan will go down. Brook will win it by round 3 by KO, if he can handle khans speed, and connect with a few heavy shots on target.

 

[PakLFC]

At 34 years I can't see where Amir's career goes from here. He should call it a day in the event of losing this one.

 

[James]

At 34 years I can't see where Amir's career goes from here. He should call it a day in the event of losing this one.

It’s a nice final payday though.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

And such a shame that this fight didn't happen when both fighters were at their peak.

Feels like it's come at a time when both are past their best.

Good luck to the authorities managing it. This is more than a fight, there'll be a riot. It's Manchester so home crowd be interesting if Brook brings his horde.

 

[shaz619]

It’s a nice final payday though.

Win or lose, don't think this will be Amir's final pay day, there are always options for him and he has promoted himself really well in recent times and has always been a decent draw in the UK and US.

It will be the biggest purse of Kell's career no doubt and he could sign off after that, but for him to fight on and secure another sizeable pay day, I'd say he would need to win because he has rarely been a big ticket seller outside Sheffield.

 

[shaz619]

I watched BT Sports card, a fantastic night of Boxing. Specific to this thread, I'd say Ingle was absolutely brilliant in how he prepared Bradley Skeet for his fight with Sheeraz, Bradley was the seasoned vet out the two while Sheeraz has been touted as the young hot prospect but Bradley had been inactive for a while and coming of a couple of KO losses in his last 4 fights but his conditioning was brilliant, he moved exceptionally well laterally and predominately out boxed the younger fighter with his superior ring generalship, he switched stances with confidence and picked of Sheeraz quiet easily with his Jab, made him hit shadows all night with his upper body movement to and I found Ingle was brilliant in the corner, not allowing his fighter to settle from the get go; the stoppage loss for Skeete in the end was controversial to a degree but just a little glimpse into how well Ingle trains his fighters for high profile cards and I expect Kell Brook to receive the same treatment

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Good to read Sheeraz won and he gives Khan his due.

Saturday night could be the breakout fight for a future star of the sport.

When Hamzah Sheeraz stopped Argentine Guido Nicolas Pitto in November 2020, former heavyweight champion David Haye, watching on in admiration, said: "He looks like a bona fide world champion".

Northern Ireland great Carl Frampton, standing alongside Haye as part of the TV broadcast team, nodded enthusiastically, before adding: "If he doesn't win a world title, I'll eat my hat".

In July, 22-year-old Londoner Sheeraz then made it consecutive knockout wins when he beat Spain's Ezequiel Gurria and extended his unbeaten record to 13 straight wins.

But this weekend at the Copper Box Arena in London, the WBO European super-welterweight champion will face, by his own admission, his "toughest test to date" as he defends his belt in an all-British clash against Bradley Skeete.

"In terms of experience, everything is on his side - he's had more knockouts than I've had fights," Sheeraz tells BBC Sport.

"But, without sounding cocky, I can do everything. I can box, I come forward a lot more. Expect an explosive performance because it's my time to shine."
-
Sheeraz credits Amir Khan for paving the way, and hopes to emulate the former world champion by creating his own legacy both in and out of the ring.

"When I turned pro nobody knew who I was until I won my European title. I was thinking to myself what more can I do to get myself out there," he says.

"It's not easy for us South Asians to break through like Amir did and have platforms already there, so a long-term goal of mine is to help the community to get them on bigger platform as soon as they turn pro."

Sheeraz says he feels "blessed to have Asian and Muslim roots" but stresses the importance of challenging any stereotypes.

"I don't think you ever see a South Asian go fishing, which I do," he says before breaking into laughter.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/59507322

 

[Saj]

On a side note.

A relative of mine flying from Pakistan to UAE recently met Amir Khan on the flight.

He stated what a friendly and down to earth guy he was.

 

[mastimasti]

Yeah..... inclined to agree here.

The fight in question does not exactly fill me with excitement. I was surprised to even see it announced.

Unless it could be some kind of comeback kick for Amir Khan.

I can't remember who it was now, maybe Eddie Hearn who basically hit the nail on the head, "it's a retirement check". Khan seems pretty stupid with his money and Brook doesn't seem to have fared any better, although he never made as much, so both men need this to be a big hit. Whoever wins could have a domestic hurrah against Connor Benn but I doubt Brook can get himself down to that weight or maybe a a crack at any title not owned by TC and Spence.

But I doubt it leads to any sort of career rejuvenation.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Yeah it is a shame that it didn’t happen long ago, championship fights, one that would affect the direction of their careers. This is more or less a retirement match for both, that being said, I’m genuinely happy this will be happening, as it was unthinkable, it just felt like amir was never going to accept it and they’d retire.

Even if this is their last match, and even if it’s late in their career, they will give nothing less than their best come fight night, it means too much, and a loss is humiliating. And what makes this so exciting, is that it’s 50/50, power v speed, eyesocket v glass chin, so many variables. It’s going to be tense, especially when they get in that ring and bell rings. One things for sure for me, someone is getting knocked down in round 1, I feel khan will go down. Brook will win it by round 3 by KO, if he can handle khans speed, and connect with a few heavy shots on target.

I'm not even sure Amir has the speed advantage, I was watching some reruns of Kell Brook's fight with Crawford, and his hand speed was pretty damn good. He was beating Crawford to the jab in the first couple of rounds.

 

[Hassaan HS]

Conor Benn wants to face winner of Amir Khan v Kell Brook

Conor Benn wants to take on Amir Khan or Kell Brook in 2022 - before setting his sights on a world title fight.

Former world champions Khan and Brook fight in a catchweight bout on 19 February in Manchester - their first meeting after years of bitter rivalry between the two Britons.

Benn, meanwhile, takes on American Chris Algieri in Liverpool on Saturday.

"They both keep saying my name, saying they'll fight me after. Well we'll see, won't we?" Benn told BBC Sport.

"[The way] the year could pan out perfectly for me would be [first] stopping Algieri in great fashion within eight rounds because I'd like to get some rounds in.

"Then you have Kell Brook and Amir Khan fighting, then me fighting the winner, just as another fight under my belt and gaining experience. And then [I'd want to be] really looking at world title honours."

The fight between Khan and Brook - to be held at a catchweight of 10st 9lb, two pounds above the welterweight limit - was confirmed last month after years of failed negotiations.

Britain's Benn was aware that confirmation was on the cards as, having publicly stated his keenness for fights with both Khan and Brook, he has been in regular contact with their teams.

The 25-year-old, having followed his father Nigel Benn - a two-weight world champion - in the boxing world, has surpassed expectations, enjoying an excellent 2021, winning his two fights so far this year.

Benn is on the verge of challenging for global honours in 2022, but has a tough opponent ahead in former world champion Algieri, 37, who has just three defeats in his 28-fight career to date.

"I just go in there and fight - that's it," Benn said.

"I don't go in there thinking 'I've got to do this or that'. I go in there and try to take his head off his shoulders. It's just who I am, the way I fight.

"My mentality is to go in there and inflict as much damage as possible. I give 100%. I'll just go in there and beat him. That's the only way my mind thinks."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/59511521

 

[shaz619]

Conor Benn is a good talent, but he is simply delusional for seeking a fight against Khan or Brook, the weasel Hearns must have put him up to it, Hearns is still bitter he could not book Khan/Brook and is not a part of it, he has now changed his tunes and is actually hurting Conor’s career by getting him to chase shadows when he is better served facing opponents on similar wavelength in pursuit of world honours. If both Brook and Khan are past it, what has Conor to gain other then a few quid he’d make of the name of more established fighters, but this guy is beneath Khan/Brook in every way, why would the winner want to end their career facing a domestic prospect, perhaps for Brook it could be an option but surely even he wouldn’t go down a few levels and risk being a stepping stone, he is much better served facing a former world champion in Liam Smith. What’s worse, Conor is managed by a con-man who has ran off to the US after getting exposed / his cows running out of milk, Conor’s next fight will be streamed on DAZN, who is even going to watch that in the UK , assuming he even fought Amir/Brook - Hearns aka the Casuals King would need to come back to sky on his knees and get them to sell the fight for him on PPV.

 

[shaz619]

I'm not even sure Amir has the speed advantage, I was watching some reruns of Kell Brook's fight with Crawford, and his hand speed was pretty damn good. He was beating Crawford to the jab in the first couple of rounds.

Amir will always have the speed advantage, Kell’s timing though is impeccable. Crawford is notoriously a slow starter and in that fight had been out the ring for almost a year, Kell was able to establish his jab imo because he’s better measure of distance earlier on and it was easier when Crawford was in the orthodox stance, standing a little too square but when he switched to southpaw Brook found it harder and in the end it was ironic how Crawford essentially ended up knocking Brook out with a stiff jab throwing it over Brook’s left, he also took advantage of Brook’s weaker game on the inside, every time he stepped in TC unleashed a flurry. Crawford is on another level though altogether with his ability to adjust and adapt, don’t think Brook ever had a chance but he didn’t have ingle in his corner either, someone mentioned sparring partners in the thread and as an example, Ingle had been preparing a top domestic level fighter in Skeete by having him spar with the likes of Liam Williams and David Avanesyan, Brook is in good hands and will prepare exceptionally well, I think he will box smarter, I’ve rarely seen him one to go toe to toe, it doesn’t help his natural ability, against Khan though, many ‘boxer’s’ tend to adapt and apply pressure to turn it into a scrap and time him, will be interesting to see how he approaches the fight, not sure what to expect from Khan though, will he try to box smart to head hunt for the KO; he makes for box office viewing either way.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Amir will always have the speed advantage, Kell’s timing though is impeccable. Crawford is notoriously a slow starter and in that fight had been out the ring for almost a year, Kell was able to establish his jab imo because he’s better measure of distance earlier on and it was easier when Crawford was in the orthodox stance, standing a little too square but when he switched to southpaw Brook found it harder and in the end it was ironic how Crawford essentially ended up knocking Brook out with a stiff jab throwing it over Brook’s left, he also took advantage of Brook’s weaker game on the inside, every time he stepped in TC unleashed a flurry. Crawford is on another level though altogether with his ability to adjust and adapt, don’t think Brook ever had a chance but he didn’t have ingle in his corner either, someone mentioned sparring partners in the thread and as an example, Ingle had been preparing a top domestic level fighter in Skeete by having him spar with the likes of Liam Williams and David Avanesyan, Brook is in good hands and will prepare exceptionally well, I think he will box smarter, I’ve rarely seen him one to go toe to toe, it doesn’t help his natural ability, against Khan though, many ‘boxer’s’ tend to adapt and apply pressure to turn it into a scrap and time him, will be interesting to see how he approaches the fight, not sure what to expect from Khan though, will he try to box smart to head hunt for the KO; he makes for box office viewing either way.

It will be an interesting one for sure. While you could argue in a toe to toe fight, Brook should be the favourite as he has more punch resilience, not sure that's really the case any more, Brook has been taking far more damage once he's stepped up a level, don't know if that's just the class gap, or maybe wear and tear.

Also you have to factor in Khan's X factor, and by that I mean he has a less predictable range of punches. Kell seems to be more orthodox, whereas with Amir you can get him suddenly winging in hooks from any angle and might be more difficult to see coming. He could quite easily unleash a barrage of punches which could overwhelm Brook.

 

[finalfantasy7]

Khan hasn’t fought in a long time, I suspect he wants to stay on the safe side himself rather then have a difficult cut to 147 lb, Brook is back with ingle, they will get him down safely and have him in the best shape possible, the second day weigh in will help emphasise his size advantage to

from watching the videos, brook looks like hes ballooned up massively to around 13 stone, khan looks in far better shape - around 11.5 stone.

ur right about khan not fighting for along time, ring rust may play a part, but thats his fault, should have fought 8 months ago, kell brook dad said it took 5 months for khans team to accept this fight.

both fighters rejected eddie hearn deal, thats good, just hope it will be thrilling

 

[finalfantasy7]

At 34 years I can't see where Amir's career goes from here. He should call it a day in the event of losing this one.

what about kell brook whos 35?

 

[finalfantasy7]

On a side note.

A relative of mine flying from Pakistan to UAE recently met Amir Khan on the flight.

He stated what a friendly and down to earth guy he was.

he is very down to earth, hes not the type of guy who tries to act any different, however no offense it is because he's how you say not the brightest = but credit to him to stay friendly constantly .

also credit to his charity feeding many homeless in pakistan

 

[PakLFC]

what about kell brook whos 35?

I mention Amir as he is of Pakistani ethnicity so people here have a certain affinity with him. Need to ask the other guy's people what they think of him fighting at 35

 

[finalfantasy7]

I mention Amir as he is of Pakistani ethnicity so people here have a certain affinity with him. Need to ask the other guy's people what they think of him fighting at 35

u make no sense

 

[PakLFC]

u make no sense

I make perfect sense. No need for Pakistanis to comment on what this Kell Brook does.

 

[shaz619]

what about kell brook whos 35?

In and around 147-154lb, domestically the division isn’t that strong, in fact both fighters are arguably still the best in the UK or top 2 in their respective weight classes at the very least. Obviously, they may not be able to compete on a world class level anymore though. However, I still see options out there for Kell domestically but maybe not so much overseas, Amir could lose this fight and still end up securing a high profile bout in the US, he is a decent draw over there and is a household name over here so I think out the two he has the most potential to secure another significant payday even if it means that he wont necessarily be favourite to beat a top 10 welter.

The other thing which is not being talked about as much for both fighters is a rematch, it’s a bit too far ahead right now but if it’s a good fight or some sort of drama or maybe a controversy of some kind, both fighters could potentially secure a rematch in a stadium for an even bigger purse.

 

[shaz619]

It will be an interesting one for sure. While you could argue in a toe to toe fight, Brook should be the favourite as he has more punch resilience, not sure that's really the case any more, Brook has been taking far more damage once he's stepped up a level, don't know if that's just the class gap, or maybe wear and tear.

Also you have to factor in Khan's X factor, and by that I mean he has a less predictable range of punches. Kell seems to be more orthodox, whereas with Amir you can get him suddenly winging in hooks from any angle and might be more difficult to see coming. He could quite easily unleash a barrage of punches which could overwhelm Brook.

Yep, Brook I believe has had surgery to both eye sockets which were broken (1 each in the Spence and GGG) fights but for me, more then his chin, Brook has never quiet had the heart at the highest level, his biggest weakness imo going by his padded resume. As for the toe to toe situation, interesting bit is, neither fighter is suited for fighting at close range on the inside, remember when Amir was swinging for the fences in his fight against Garcia and then got caught by a counter left hook? Garcia predominately tends to apply pressure, loves working on the inside, he was flat footed but that means he loads up a lot more, Brook on the other hand is fantastic at mid-range, you would have seen how Crawford took him apart each time he stepped in but don’t know if AK is necessarily capable of taking advantage of that in the same way but Bo-Mac and TC would have spoken to him about it.

Khan does have less a predictable variety, the speed especially gives him that advantage (a rapid flurry you mentioned may well work but comes with risk although he could target Kells eyes); his favourite combo is the left hook, right hand, Khan is an under rated body puncher and he needs to utilise that strength a bit more. Kell on the other hand should sit back a little, work of his jab, throw counters at mid range, clinch if AK gets on the inside and throw a left hook counter over the top.

 

[shokz1408]

Woohooo got myself a ticket can’t wait for the fight

 

[finalfantasy7]

Woohooo got myself a ticket can’t wait for the fight ����

how much was it for?

 

[shokz1408]

how much was it for?

229 for floor seats

 

[finalfantasy7]

229 for floor seats

great price, enjoy it

 

[shokz1408]

great price, enjoy it

Thanks bro, my first boxing event live, looking forward to it

 

[Firebat]

Amir Khan vs Kell Brook sold out already for massive grudge fight on February 19

Amir Khan and Kell Brook’s highly-anticipated fight has already sold out, as demand reaches fever pitch to see their rivalry settled.

Tickets for the event have sold out in just 10 minutes, making Khan vs Brook at the Manchester AO Arena one of the fastest-selling events not only in British boxing history but in British sporting history as a whole.

A clue to the unprecedented level of demand came when fans signed up for last week’s presale at a ratio of six fans for every one ticket available. When Friday’s presale opened, it sold out in just four minutes.

The speed of the presale sell-out was echoed on Monday when a final batch of tickets went on sale to the general public, with the event officially being declared a sell-out just six minutes after the public sale began.

Following the lightning-fast sell out and value of the ticket inventory sold, BOXXER - which took over as the Sky Sports Boxing promoter just three months ago - now lays claim to records for biggest box office take for an indoor UK sports event and fastest sell-out for UK boxing event.

“We knew we could sell the arena out a few times over but the demand for tickets has been mind-blowing. The arena told us this event is ‘bigger than Bieber’,” said Ben Shalom, BOXXER’s founder and CEO.

“The level of national interest in this fight is just off the scale - it’s the biggest British battle in decades. We’re looking forward to an electric night on February 19 for what will be an iconic and legacy-defining fight in front of a sold-out arena and televised live and exclusively on Sky Sports Box Office.”

The rivalry between Khan and Brook dates back to their teenage years, when the 17-year-old Khan won an Olympic silver medal after being selected ahead of Brook for the Team GB squad which went to the 2004 Olympic Games.

Khan’s professional accomplishments include tenure as the unified light-welterweight world champion and Commonwealth lightweight champion, while Brook is the former British welterweight champion and former IBF world welterweight champion.

With tensions between the two remaining high ever since their amateur days, British boxing fans have long had a showdown under professional rules on their wish-list. As the two top welterweights in the UK, February’s encounter will not only settle their rivalry but will also determine which of them is the best welterweight in the country.

https://www.skysports.com/boxing/ne...-on-february-19-live-on-sky-sports-box-office

 

[shaz619]

Amir Khan vs Kell Brook sold out already for massive grudge fight on February 19

Amir Khan and Kell Brook’s highly-anticipated fight has already sold out, as demand reaches fever pitch to see their rivalry settled.

Tickets for the event have sold out in just 10 minutes, making Khan vs Brook at the Manchester AO Arena one of the fastest-selling events not only in British boxing history but in British sporting history as a whole.

A clue to the unprecedented level of demand came when fans signed up for last week’s presale at a ratio of six fans for every one ticket available. When Friday’s presale opened, it sold out in just four minutes.

The speed of the presale sell-out was echoed on Monday when a final batch of tickets went on sale to the general public, with the event officially being declared a sell-out just six minutes after the public sale began.

Following the lightning-fast sell out and value of the ticket inventory sold, BOXXER - which took over as the Sky Sports Boxing promoter just three months ago - now lays claim to records for biggest box office take for an indoor UK sports event and fastest sell-out for UK boxing event.

“We knew we could sell the arena out a few times over but the demand for tickets has been mind-blowing. The arena told us this event is ‘bigger than Bieber’,” said Ben Shalom, BOXXER’s founder and CEO.

“The level of national interest in this fight is just off the scale - it’s the biggest British battle in decades. We’re looking forward to an electric night on February 19 for what will be an iconic and legacy-defining fight in front of a sold-out arena and televised live and exclusively on Sky Sports Box Office.”

The rivalry between Khan and Brook dates back to their teenage years, when the 17-year-old Khan won an Olympic silver medal after being selected ahead of Brook for the Team GB squad which went to the 2004 Olympic Games.

Khan’s professional accomplishments include tenure as the unified light-welterweight world champion and Commonwealth lightweight champion, while Brook is the former British welterweight champion and former IBF world welterweight champion.

With tensions between the two remaining high ever since their amateur days, British boxing fans have long had a showdown under professional rules on their wish-list. As the two top welterweights in the UK, February’s encounter will not only settle their rivalry but will also determine which of them is the best welterweight in the country.

https://www.skysports.com/boxing/ne...-on-february-19-live-on-sky-sports-box-office

Those ridiculing the demand for this fight must feel like right mugs, especially the King of the Casuals - Hearns.

Going by the speed of sales, there’s a good chance they could have potentially sold out a stadium. I wouldn’t be shocked if the first fight is delayed for some reason (covid, injuries etc) and rescheduled in a stadium. If they have a dramatic fight, there will be demand for a rematch without a doubt.

 

[finalfantasy7]

Those ridiculing the demand for this fight must feel like right mugs, especially the King of the Casuals - Hearns.

Going by the speed of sales, there’s a good chance they could have potentially sold out a stadium. I wouldn’t be shocked if the first fight is delayed for some reason (covid, injuries etc) and rescheduled in a stadium. If they have a dramatic fight, there will be demand for a rematch without a doubt.

eddie hearn still making out he didnt miss out - hope this goes ahead, with a thrilling fight

 

[Saj]

Amir Khan has been backed to knock out Kell Brook by Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, his new trainer who has already plotted Brook’s downfall once before.

Khan and Brook's lengthy rivalry which stems from their teenage years will finally be settled on February 19 in Manchester, live on Sky Sports Box Office, in the biggest all-British fight outside of the heavyweight division.

Khan's training camp has been spent in Omaha and Colorado in the US, alongside his former opponent Terence Crawford and under the watchful eye of trainer BoMac.

BoMac was in pound-for-pound phenom Crawford's corner when he defeated both Khan and Brook.

He told Sky Sports that Khan can emulate Crawford by stopping Brook: "Yes, I believe he can.

"After seeing what Crawford did to Kell, I believe that Amir can do the same thing.

"Brook will do what he has to do to win. That's what we call the storm.

"Once you get past the storm? It's downhill after that.

"You've got to mentally prepare for that. In the corner, we say: 'This is the storm that we talked about in the gym'."

Khan and Brook are contracted to make 149lbs (two pounds above the welterweight limit) and BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom has revealed they will incur a six-figure fine if they miss weight.

"The weight won't be a problem," insisted Khan who says he currently weighs 159lbs with six weeks to go.

He has been sparring four-minute rounds, with just 30 seconds to rest in between, and has been running four miles through the snowy Colorado mountains with BoMac following in a car and monitoring his performance.

"My chest is burning but this is what makes you a champion," he told Sky Sports at 7,000ft altitude.

Khan, aged 35, insisted he can stop Brook: "I am more confident.

"I have had a few sparring rounds with Crawford and done mitt work with BoMac.

"It's back! I feel like I'm 25 or 26 again, at the peak of my career.

"I can't see Brook beating me.

"I'm a better skilled fighter. I have been in with better opposition.

"I will keep calm, I won't think too much, or get over-confident. But I know what to do. I have been in this position before.

"I'm glad Kell is taking it serious. We want to give the fans a massive fight.

"We will be fit and ready."

Khan is a former unified super-lightweight world champion but hasn't boxed for almost three years.

He famously previously trained in the US with Freddie Roach and Virgil Hunter but has thrown himself into the new methods of BoMac, who has focused on fine-tuning Khan's ability to fight at close-quarters.

"You want to make sure that he has it in the bank in case he needs to cash a cheque - that's what we saw in America," BoMac said.

"It's in the memory bank so if Brook tries to stay on top, and Khan needs to fight on the inside, he's ready for it because he trained in our camp.

"I won't have to say anything new to him in the corner because we have worked on it."

SKY

 

[KingKhanWC]

Training camps are very important esp if you're sparring with a P4P king(Crawford).

Amir has obviously paid a large amount for this camp. He could have trained in Dubai or Bolton in his own gym but realised the importance of doing a camp with such an elite group.

There is no doubt Khan will be in top shape with a great game plan. The problem is can he keep his cool in the ring. Can he stay away from a tear up with Brook. If he can, this should be a good win, likely stopping Brook in the latter rounds.
[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] do you think Brook should have won against Porter? Having watched the fight back Brook started off slowly, he is a slow starter in general. Porter was never looking like being stopped.

 

[shaz619]

Training camps are very important esp if you're sparring with a P4P king(Crawford).

Amir has obviously paid a large amount for this camp. He could have trained in Dubai or Bolton in his own gym but realised the importance of doing a camp with such an elite group.

There is no doubt Khan will be in top shape with a great game plan. The problem is can he keep his cool in the ring. Can he stay away from a tear up with Brook. If he can, this should be a good win, likely stopping Brook in the latter rounds.
[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] do you think Brook should have won against Porter? Having watched the fight back Brook started off slowly, he is a slow starter in general. Porter was never looking like being stopped.

Amir generally takes his training very seriously when in camp but the issue has always been his condition and activities between camps (maybe not so much when he was younger / didn’t impact him as much), Virgil Hunter also kept emphasising the same, if you hold mini camps between your fight camps you’re going to have a better command over your ability to measure distance, have good rhythm and find yourself in much better conditioning, often with Amir there were instances where he’d arrive in the US and trainers have had to get him to shed a bit of weight before going through drills and that’s valuable time waisted and also impacts conditioning negatively. Amir has finally admitted this to and addressed this by spending more time in the gym this time round prior to his training camps in Nebraska and Colorado. He has a great team around him and you’re right issue has always been how much of it he will implement on fight night lol

He has worked with HOF trainers and honestly, I think for the most part he has succeeded mostly based on his raw ability, determination and heart; I feel only Virgil Hunter was truly able to get through to him because he spent more time with him and got him to think a little more about defence and the best example of that would be the insane performance against a world class fighter in Devon Alexander (that showing put Floyd off among others). So yeah you never know with him which is what makes him exciting to watch, if the defensive issues were addressed early on and he was a little more boring, he may have had increased success but on the flip side potentially not made as much money.

I watched the fight back again after your post and being as generous as I possibly could to Brook, I scored it a draw 114-114. It was extremely cagey affair and Brook should consider himself extremely fortunate that he was able to win a belt in America with a performance like that, Brook did well early on with his sharp shooting jab and right cross but was overwhelmed with Porter’s work rate / relentless pressure and those clubbing blows to the body, Brook relied a great deal on single shots and held quiet a bit as Porter lunged on the inside, but there were many instances where not a lot happened in the rounds due to Brook’s defensive strategy but to me, he was not active enough in the fight until Porter slowed down and even then, he sporadically threw 1-2 combinations - just look at Rd 12, there was so much holding from Brook (he can thank that ref a great deal) and while Porter was working more he wasn’t landing much and then Brook caught him clean with a right hand - do I give the contender a round for that ? Porter did enough early on and bullied Brook enough to retain his title imo, Brook seemed a little numb to the body blows on that night and displayed a good chin, I was surprised by that but you would know a possible reason for that could be some of the well known infractions from the Ingle gym

 

[KingKhanWC]

Amir generally takes his training very seriously when in camp but the issue has always been his condition and activities between camps (maybe not so much when he was younger / didn’t impact him as much), Virgil Hunter also kept emphasising the same, if you hold mini camps between your fight camps you’re going to have a better command over your ability to measure distance, have good rhythm and find yourself in much better conditioning, often with Amir there were instances where he’d arrive in the US and trainers have had to get him to shed a bit of weight before going through drills and that’s valuable time waisted and also impacts conditioning negatively. Amir has finally admitted this to and addressed this by spending more time in the gym this time round prior to his training camps in Nebraska and Colorado. He has a great team around him and you’re right issue has always been how much of it he will implement on fight night lol

He has worked with HOF trainers and honestly, I think for the most part he has succeeded mostly based on his raw ability, determination and heart; I feel only Virgil Hunter was truly able to get through to him because he spent more time with him and got him to think a little more about defence and the best example of that would be the insane performance against a world class fighter in Devon Alexander (that showing put Floyd off among others). So yeah you never know with him which is what makes him exciting to watch, if the defensive issues were addressed early on and he was a little more boring, he may have had increased success but on the flip side potentially not made as much money.

I watched the fight back again after your post and being as generous as I possibly could to Brook, I scored it a draw 114-114. It was extremely cagey affair and Brook should consider himself extremely fortunate that he was able to win a belt in America with a performance like that, Brook did well early on with his sharp shooting jab and right cross but was overwhelmed with Porter’s work rate / relentless pressure and those clubbing blows to the body, Brook relied a great deal on single shots and held quiet a bit as Porter lunged on the inside, but there were many instances where not a lot happened in the rounds due to Brook’s defensive strategy but to me, he was not active enough in the fight until Porter slowed down and even then, he sporadically threw 1-2 combinations - just look at Rd 12, there was so much holding from Brook (he can thank that ref a great deal) and while Porter was working more he wasn’t landing much and then Brook caught him clean with a right hand - do I give the contender a round for that ? Porter did enough early on and bullied Brook enough to retain his title imo, Brook seemed a little numb to the body blows on that night and displayed a good chin, I was surprised by that but you would know a possible reason for that could be some of the well known infractions from the Ingle gym

I think Amir was probably thinking he will only have money fights so wasnt keeping in shape on a daily basis. Now he had a pre-training camp routine in Dubai which was needed to keep up the hard training he is doing with BoMac.

I agree with the rest.

Khan mentions Bomac has a great plan for the fight. What plan do you think would work best for Khan v Brook? Brook is a slow starter, so perhaps take a risk and go for it early?

 

[KingKhanWC]

Amir generally takes his training very seriously when in camp but the issue has always been his condition and activities between camps (maybe not so much when he was younger / didn’t impact him as much), Virgil Hunter also kept emphasising the same, if you hold mini camps between your fight camps you’re going to have a better command over your ability to measure distance, have good rhythm and find yourself in much better conditioning, often with Amir there were instances where he’d arrive in the US and trainers have had to get him to shed a bit of weight before going through drills and that’s valuable time waisted and also impacts conditioning negatively. Amir has finally admitted this to and addressed this by spending more time in the gym this time round prior to his training camps in Nebraska and Colorado. He has a great team around him and you’re right issue has always been how much of it he will implement on fight night lol

He has worked with HOF trainers and honestly, I think for the most part he has succeeded mostly based on his raw ability, determination and heart; I feel only Virgil Hunter was truly able to get through to him because he spent more time with him and got him to think a little more about defence and the best example of that would be the insane performance against a world class fighter in Devon Alexander (that showing put Floyd off among others). So yeah you never know with him which is what makes him exciting to watch, if the defensive issues were addressed early on and he was a little more boring, he may have had increased success but on the flip side potentially not made as much money.

I watched the fight back again after your post and being as generous as I possibly could to Brook, I scored it a draw 114-114. It was extremely cagey affair and Brook should consider himself extremely fortunate that he was able to win a belt in America with a performance like that, Brook did well early on with his sharp shooting jab and right cross but was overwhelmed with Porter’s work rate / relentless pressure and those clubbing blows to the body, Brook relied a great deal on single shots and held quiet a bit as Porter lunged on the inside, but there were many instances where not a lot happened in the rounds due to Brook’s defensive strategy but to me, he was not active enough in the fight until Porter slowed down and even then, he sporadically threw 1-2 combinations - just look at Rd 12, there was so much holding from Brook (he can thank that ref a great deal) and while Porter was working more he wasn’t landing much and then Brook caught him clean with a right hand - do I give the contender a round for that ? Porter did enough early on and bullied Brook enough to retain his title imo, Brook seemed a little numb to the body blows on that night and displayed a good chin, I was surprised by that but you would know a possible reason for that could be some of the well known infractions from the Ingle gym

I think Amir was probably thinking he will only have money fights so wasnt keeping in shape on a daily basis. Now he had a pre-training camp routine in Dubai which was needed to keep up the hard training he is doing with BoMac.

I agree with the rest.

Khan mentions Bomac has a great plan for the fight. What plan do you think would work best for Khan v Brook? Brook is a slow starter, so perhaps take a risk and go for it early?

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Khan is carrying quite a bit of flab. He'll be gassed after 5 if it gets that far

 

[Giannis]

He should fight the Paul bros and instead and make 10x as much

 

[KingKhanWC]

Khan is carrying quite a bit of flab. He'll be gassed after 5 if it gets that far

Tbf he looks in good shape at this stage of training camp, this was 2 weeks ago.

 

[Saj]

Kell Brook believes that Amir Khan has "messed about" during the build-up to their fight and is now sounding "negative" in his new training camp.

Brook and Khan's 17-year rivalry will finally be settled in Manchester on February 19, live on Sky Sports Box Office, in one of the best all-British fights available.

While Khan has been running in the snow in the Colorado mountains alongside his new trainer Brian 'BoMac' McIntyre and his former opponent Terence Crawford, Brook has been in the Fuerteventura sunshine.

Brook told Sky Sports that he senses weakness in Khan: "Amir is mentioning that he's got niggles. He's putting it out there that he's negative.

"I want to tell Khan: The fans have been waiting for years for this fight.

"I will turn up even if I've got two broken hands."

Khan had told Sky Sports last week: "We all have injuries, all sportsmen and women at the elite level. I've got pains and injuries but I have to overcome them."

Brook continued: "He messed about when we got contracts over the line.

"Now we've got a date, let's make this fight happen. I want him to turn up on February 19, the best he can be.

"The fans have been waiting too long. I've been waiting too long.

"I'm more than ready to show the world that I'm the best.

"After this fight, Amir will be a mere memory."

Both Khan and Brook have fallen short in world title challenges against undefeated pound-for-pound sensation Crawford, whose trainer McIntyre is now in Khan's corner.

"After seeing what Crawford did to Kell," McIntyre said, "I believe that Amir can do the same thing."

Brook hit back: "I don't believe so.

"Amir keeps banging on about his trainer and having world champions in his camp.

"Dominic Ingle, my trainer, has known me since I was teenager. He knows me inside-out. He knows when to push me, when not to push me, when I need a rest.

"Amir said he hasn't had a day off in a month.

"A rest is as good as a hard training session. The body needs to recover. His trainer has never worked with him - he doesn't know how to push Amir.

"We have no excuses."

Brook rejected Khan's accusation that he is "bitter", saying: "It's just talk. If he wants to believe it, let him carry on.

"He's in a fairy world. He loves the media. That's what he's about.

"I tie these gloves on, not for the flash of the cameras, but to become the world champion and the best in my sport."

Khan has been training at altitude in the US while Brook has been in the familiar territory of the Canary Islands, the scene of many of his training camps - cycling between the gym and his villa and recuperating by the swimming pool.

Brook warned: "I'm putting myself through hell.

"People will remember me by this fight. It took years for this grudge match to finally get here.

"The fans have been waiting for this fight for a long time."

BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom has revealed that Khan and Brook will be hit by a six-figure fine for every pound that they weigh above the contracted weight of 149lbs.

"I have always made weight," Brook insisted.

"I gave myself the opportunity to get away from Sheffield, away from the distractions, to take pressure away.

"I make the weight healthily. Everything is bang on track."

SKY

 

[MenInG]

MANCHESTER: Amir Khan and Kell Brook’s highly-anticipated fight has set a world record as tickets for the event sold out in just six minutes; making the clash the fastest-selling event.

As many as 23,00 tickets for the clash sold out in just six minutes; making the contest the fastest-selling in the history of any British sporting event.

The two athletes will come face to face in All-British Grudge Bout on February 19, at the Manchester AO Arena.