It’s happening, it’s really happening. Amir Khan and Kell Brook are getting inside the ring on Saturday 19th February at the AO Arena in Manchester Live on Sky Sports Box Officeto finally settle a feud going back almost 2 decades and decide who really is the best British Welterweight of this generation.
Amir Khan (34-5-0) vs Kell Brook (39-3-0)
The one we’ve all been waiting for and what a fight this will be, two icons in the British welterweight division getting it on, maybe seven years too late but as the fight edges closer, that opinion seems to get further away and the excitement that it is actually happening is taking over.
The back and forth between these men hit our screens and the public eye in 2012, with both men appearing on Sky Sports’ Ringside when Adam Smith prompted the questions about the spar in which Khan believes he ‘boxed Kell all around the ring’, whereas Kell had a different perception of the spar, telling Khan ‘You got schooled’.
Since though, there has been a lot of smoke without fire. In 2014 both men put in arguably the best performances of their careers with Khan boxing rings around American Devon Alexander, while Brook went to war with Shawn Porter, capturing the IBF World Title in the process, it was set up for a 2015 showdown between the Brits.
Unfortunately, Khan was chasing the big money fight with the greatest of our generation in Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather and still didn’t believe Kell had earned the right to get a clash with him. It turned out Brook had to settle for 2 very underwhelming opponents Dan Ion and Frankie Gavin, in the same year Amir Khan fought then prospect Chris Algieri and never got Mayweather fight.
It was like groundhog day in 2017, this time though, the polar opposite in terms of previous fights, Khan and Brook had been beaten up and badly stopped in their prior fights against p4p greats Canelo and Golovkin respectively. Both men started very well, sharp in their movement and clinical in their punches but Khan got caught and was brutally knocked out in a highlight reel finish, while Brook was walked down and beaten up, leaving Ingle no choice but to throw the towel in after 5 rounds with Brook having had his orbital bone broken.
We were set up, both needing to bounce back, it was the perfect fight, but Amir Khan seemingly had other ideas and entered the jungle for a reality tv show ‘I’m A Celebrity’.
On the other hand, Kell dared to be great again, luring American sensation Errol Spence over to the football ground of Kell’s beloved ‘Blades’, but it was Golovkin all over again, Kell started great, winning the first 3 rounds, until Spence started to find his range, whipping in body shots slowing the movement of Brook and began to walk him down and punish him until Kell took a knee in the 11th and the fight was waved off, again breaking the orbital bone of Brook.
The final nearly time was in 2018, when the tables seemingly turned and Khan was now chasing Brook, signing to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, the promotion team of Kell. Khan demolished Phil Le Greco in seconds and called out onlooking Kell Brook, saying ‘I’m chasing you!’. Although after more meaningless fights for the pair, Rabchenko, Vargas, Deluca to name a few, they still managed to avoid each other before Khan, then Brook were both embarrassed by p4p top 3 fighter Terence Crawford in 6 and 4 rounds respectively.
2022, now its on!! In just a matter of days we’re going to see the fight we’ve been waiting on for years.
Prediction:
Now this is tough, I’ve been collecting splinters throughout the build up, well since 2014 to be honest always going back and forth ‘Kell is too precise, too powerful’, ‘Khan is so quick, his in and out footwork, Brook won’t get near him’.
But all that changed during Sky Sports’ ‘Gloves are Off’ when Kell looked worried, he already has his excuses ready and he looks very agitated. If he comes into the ring with that mentality, Amir capitalises and boxes rings around him.
So, to come off the fence, I am going for an Amir Khan stoppage win between rounds 5 and 8. I believe Kell will come out pent up and when he witness’ the speed of Khan and begins to miss, with the mentality he looks to be going into the fight with, I don’t believe he’ll be able to compose himself, therefore burning himself out and allowing Khan to nip in and out of the pocket and pop him with his fast hands.
By Bobby Gunn of Simboxx