The UK’s own Kell Brook waited years for a title shot, acuminating his skills through innumerable injuries. When Brook finally got into the ring, he made it look easy against Shawn Porter, a fighter who many thought had too much power for the English welterweight.
Just two weeks after claiming the IBF title, the Sheffield boxer was the victim of a horrific stabbing attack on the Spanish island of Tenerife while on vacation.
Porter believes he deserves a rematch, supported by his trainer/father, Kenny Porter. Brook was quick to shoot both of them down.
“He needs to get in line,” said Brook. “It took me a long time to get to the title, and I won.”
“He is not a big enough name, and I want the big names now. If he fights his way into position again, I will fight him again.”
Can Porter punch his way back into fighting contention in one fight? That is yet to be seen, but on 13th of March, Porter returns to the ring against Roberto Garcia in a 10-round bout at a currently undetermined location in California.
Garcia (36-3, 23 KO) is coming off a unanimous decision victory against Breidis Prescott. Prescott notably knocked out Amir Khan in spectacular fashion in the first round of their bout for the WBO-Inter-Continental lightweight title, in 2008. However, Prescott has lost three of his past six fights, including a stoppage loss to Mike Alvarado and a blowout loss to rising star, Terence Crawford.
If Porter wants to have a rematch with Brook, he may want to fight cleaner, according to Brook.
“In the fight, he was coming in low and he butted me, He was trying that rough man boxing and a bit dirty at times. He was really coming into me, so there was nothing else that I could do,” It was not a good fight at the time, but the fight made me a world champion. This is going to be a lot in his system, but I won it on his own turf.”
Given the quality of Garcia’s opponents in recent fights, it seems unlikely that Brook will offer Porter a chance at redemption, at least for now. If the rematch does come to fruition at some point, perhaps Brook is hinting at a potential flash in the United Kingdom.
In another fight that is garnering interest, analysts and pundits alike have been using Amir Khan and Kell Brook in the same sentence.
Khan-Brook would be a tantalizing fight for the fans, pitting two men from the same country, with different, yet distinct capabilities.
Brook has superior counter punching techniques and movement, although Khan has superior hand speed and combination punching, but Khan has proven to be vulnerable to counter shots, as seen against Danny Garcia. Is Khan purposefully avoiding Kell Brook?
In many ways, Khan is purposefully avoiding Brook because his goal is either landing a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao. Brook wants the fight, but is unsure whether Khan is committed.
“You are going to have to ask him these questions,” said Brook. “I put out there that I want the fight, but if not him, you are going to see me with some massive names, I am a world champion amongst Mayweather and Pacquiao, so I want the big, big fights this year.”
