Former World featherweight champion ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed has joined the growing number of boxing fans that are calling for the fight between British rivals Kell Brook and Amir Khan to be finally made.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Hamed envisioned the meeting bringing a comparable crowd that turned out to see Carl Froch and George Groves tangle for the second time at the UK’s national stadium in 2014; 80,000 people.
“I want to see Amir fight Kell Brook and I want that to be an all-British bash at Wembley.”
The fight has been doggedly pursued by Brook, who has repeatedly and publicly stated his willingness to put his undefeated record – 35-0, 24 KO’s – and his IBF World welterweight belt on the line to get Khan in the ring.
Khan has mainly been campaigning across the Atlantic from Brook in the U.S. since 2010 and has been foolheartedly been pursuing a mega-money fight with undefeated king Floyd Mayweather Jr. for much of the last couple of years.
His unrewarded chase thus far has become a bit of a running joke throughout the boxing media, and on several occasions he has hinted the official confirmation for the fight is just around the corner, only for Mayweather to turn around and choose another opponent.
In the absence of his dream bout, Khan insists he is only looking to face the big names in his division, apart from the one that keeps asking to fight him and inverting his ring moniker to ‘Queen’ Khan in an attempt to bristle him.
It’s all a bit puzzling for a man who has shown his willingness to sign up for a number of dangerous assignments in the past, and Hamed outlined his frustration by spelling out the circumstances that would in any other case almost guarantee that these two would meet.
“I just don’t see why Amir is overlooking Kell Brook. You’ve got a world champion on your doorstep with a legitimate belt in your weight category. People in this country want to see who the best is.”
That says it all.
After Khan is finished observing the fasting period of Ramadan (running from June 18th to July 17th this year) and has taken ample time to physically rebuild himself, there is no bigger fight out there for him.
A Wembley date against Brook for the world title would even make him more money than a fight with Floyd, who is notoriously stingy with his opponent’s purse despite the astronomical size of his own.
The Mayweather saga is something Khan could do without. He must believe he has the skill set to beat the aging master, and many agree with him, but this situation is detracting from what he could otherwise be achieving right now.
His last three wins – Luis Collazo, Devon Alexander, and Chris Algieri – have been thirty-six rounds of treading water while he waits for the call.
The names are recognisable and so keep him relevant, but you have to go back to 2012 for the last time he faced a real puncher in Danny Garcia down at light-welterweight. On that occasion, he found himself getting bashed with a counter left hook and eventually stopped.
Perhaps Kell Brook’s power – which has been increasingly evident as of late – is as much of a reason for Khan’s hesitancy as waiting for Floyd Mayweather, who seems to be clouded in Scotch Mist.
