After a two-year sabbatical, Amir Khan needed only 40 seconds to drop Phil Lo Greco twice for a first-round TKO and begin the hype for an eventual showdown with rival Kell Brook.
Lo Greco, who’s been active with his trash talk throughout the prefight buildup, was completely overmatched by Khan’s speed. A right uppercut preceded a 1-2 that put Lo Greco down 15 seconds in. A flurry of hooks, punctuated by a left, put Lo Greco down again for good.
With less than a minute’s work, you can make any definitive decisions on how much Khan has left or what improvements new trainer Joe Goossen has brought. But it was good to see him aggressive and not wasting time with a lower tier opponent.
As for Khan vs. Brook, I still have to favor Special K. Khan’s speed and combination punching will trouble him, but I can’t see Brook not being able to land something big at some point over 12 rounds. Regardless, I see their styles and the hometown atmosphere making for an exciting fight however long it lasts.
Kell Brook is back in win column after two years after a dominant second round KO over Siarhei Rabchanka at the Sheffield Arena.
Book, who came in stating he was “reinvigorated” for a comeback, found the range early and often with the straight right hand. The plodding Rabchanko was kept stationary by the left jab which allowed Brook to add right uppercuts to his attack.
In the second, the right uppercut served as the perfect counter to begin Rabchanko’s downfall. The shot wobbled him and Brook quickly floored his foe with a massive straight right.
The fight marks Brook’s official debut as a 154-pounder after his previous two fights against Errol Spence (welterweight) and Gennady Golovkin (middleweight). He took no damage, looked sharp and did exactly what we’d expect from a former champion against an overmatched foe.
Brook will be closely following next month’s contest between rival Amir Khan and Phil Lo Greco. Most expect a Khan fight before year’s end, but another attractive option at 154 would be WBO title-holder Sadam Ali, who’s coming off retiring Miguel Cotto last December. Unlike the announcers, I’d advise Brook to steer clear of WBA title-holder Jermall Charlo, whose size and punching power could ruin what’s left of Brook’s reserves.
What did you think of Brook’s performance? Should he stay the course and look for a Khan showdown, or go for the belts against either Ali or Charlo? Sound off in the comments.
The Truth has arrived. Errol Spence Jr. lived up to his nickname by silencing critics (myself included) by overcoming an early deficit to batter Kell Brook into an 11th round stoppage and claim the IBF welterweight title.
The fight was fought on a very high level. Early on, Brook held the advantage when he kept the challenger at long-range and on the end of his right hand and jabs. But Spence would force the action and remain relentless in clubbing the body. The biggest difference over the first half was Brook had a better grasp of ring generalship; he knew when to pick his spots on offense and smother Spence’s attempts to respond. Through six, I had Brook with a 4-2 lead.
Then things started going south for the Sheffield native. Brook’s punch output dissipated drastically as Spence’s accuracy and pressure gradually increased every round. Now Brook was a step slower in clinching, allowing Spence to work the body and land punishing jabs.
By the eighth, bad swelling surrounded Brook’s left eye. The toll of making the 147 limit from welterweight, in addition to Spence’s pressure and body-punching, had Brook’s resistance withering by the minute. There was nowhere to hide as the challenger punished Brook with blistering power shots whenever the champion sought refuge on the ropes. Brook was forced to take a knee in the 10th and was on the verge of being stopped before a dramatic late rally got him through the round.
Spence promptly continued his workmanlike assault in the 11th. Brook once again took a knee, later claiming the left eye damage had badly compromised his vision. This time, his corner wisely saved him from further punishment.
If you’re a top welterweight not named Errol Spence, tonight performance has put you on notice. The most impressive thing for me was Spence’s defense, which I had previously underrated. He proved to an elusive, small target and took away the potency of Brook’s right hand.
WBA/WBC champion Keith Thurman, who’s currently recovering from elbow surgery, wasted no time responding to Spence’s unification challenge.
— Keith Thurman Jr. (@keithfthurmanjr) May 27, 2017
Although many see Spence as the future kingpin of the division, Thurman has a good chance of derailing it. One Time is highly athletic and has the footwork needed to keep Spence from getting set and also exploding with flashy and damaging combos. However, we know Spence’s specialty is body-punching and Thurman has been hurt badly twice from shots downstairs against Luiz Collazo and Shawn Porter. Ideally, a Spence and Thurman unification should be one of PBC’s major fights in early 2018.
What’s next for Kell Brook? A LONG break. He has suffered orbital bone fractures to both eyes in his last two fights. A titanium plate had to be inserted into the right one after the brutal defeat to Gennady Golovkin last year. The same procedure will likely be required for the left eye that Spence smashed tonight. The eyes will be targets from here on out, and Brook’s best bet would be to take the rest of the year off and cash out with an all-Sheffield showdown against Amir Khan in spring 2018.
As for Spence, there’s no need to sit around while Thurman convalesces. Luis Collazo or the winner for the just announced Robert Guerrero vs. Omar Figueroa (assuming they don’t kill each other) bout would be solid stay-busy fights to close out the year.
Whatever Spence does, you can be rest assured we’ll all be watching very closely.
IBF welterweight titlist Kell Brook and Errol Spence exchanged pleasantries for the first time at today’s UK press conference for their May 27 showdown. Brook is returning to welterweight to defend his belt after a moving up two weight classes to face middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin last year. Spence is receiving his first title shot following a sixth round KO of Leonard Bundu last August.
From the assorted trash talk, the most interesting thing to note is Spence’s camp repeatedly telling Brook to make weight. This could be a legitimate concern as Brook outweighed Golovkin on fight night.
LONDON — Size matters. Kell Brook’s sharp counter-punching and movement befuddled Gennady Golovkin at times, but the power of the bruising middleweight champion proved decisive as he forced Brook’s corner to stop the contest in the fifth.
Brook was badly staggered in the round one by a left hook which he later speculated might have broken his eye socket. The injury would be a recurring theme throughout the fight as Brook occasionally pawed at the area starting in the second. Brook found his greatest success in round two by countering the charging Golovkin with left hooks and right uppercuts. The speed and timing of these shots seemed to surprise Golovkin and drew blood from his nose.
At ring center, Brook’s speed and counters allowed him to remain competitive. However, Golovkin’s size and the power continually forced Brook to the ropes. The challenger couldn’t avoid digging body shots which lowered his hands and opened up Golovkin’s thudding jabs and right hands.
The fifth round saw Brook hurt several times with power shots and attempt to buy time by taunting. With no punches coming back his way, Golovkin kept throwing and forced Brook’s corner to throw in the towel.
“A few rounds before I told them my eye was gone,” Brook admitted afterward. “It was hard to see him. I was very frustrated. I had so much more to give. I feel I would have taken over in the middle and later rounds.
Absolutely (I could have fought on). A fight of this magnitude, you have to carry on… Knock me out.”
Golovkin admitted that Brook’s use of “distance” caused him trouble, but was adamant the smaller man never hurt him and compared the bout to a “street fight” and “sparring.”
With a Canelo bout seemingly a year away at the earliest, Golovkin expressed his desire to unify next against WBO titlist Billy Joe Saunders. Brook confirmed he will move up to 154 pounds and vacate his IBF welterweight title.
GOLOVKIN- BROOK WEIGH IN INDIGO 2,LONDON PIC;LAWRENCE LUSTIG WBC,IBF AND IBO MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE GENNADY GOLOVKIN V KELL BROOK WEIGH IN FOR THEIR FIGHT AT LONDONS 02 ARENA ON SATURDAY(9 SEPT)
Photo Credit: Matchroom/Lawrence Lustig
LONDON — The weights are in for Saturday’s middleweight title match featuring WBC/IBF/WBA champion Gennady Golovkin taking on Kell Brook. Both men were below the 160 limit with Golovkin tipping the scales at 159, and Brook slightly higher at 159.4. Golovkin, who was around his usual weight, looked less defined than previous weigh-ins while Brook, who is coming up from welterweight, carried the extra weight well.
GOLOVKIN- BROOK WEIGH IN INDIGO 2,LONDON PIC;LAWRENCE LUSTIG WBC,IBF AND IBO MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE GENNADY GOLOVKIN V KELL BROOK WEIGH IN FOR THEIR FIGHT AT LONDONS 02 ARENA ON SATURDAY(9 SEPT)
GOLOVKIN- BROOK WEIGH IN INDIGO 2,LONDON PIC;LAWRENCE LUSTIG WBC,IBF AND IBO MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE GENNADY GOLOVKIN V KELL BROOK WEIGH IN FOR THEIR FIGHT AT LONDONS 02 ARENA ON SATURDAY(9 SEPT)
GOLOVKIN- BROOK WEIGH IN INDIGO 2,LONDON PIC;LAWRENCE LUSTIG WBC,IBF AND IBO MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE GENNADY GOLOVKIN V KELL BROOK WEIGH IN FOR THEIR FIGHT AT LONDONS 02 ARENA ON SATURDAY(9 SEPT)
PREDICTION: Don’t let your mind start playing tricks on you. We have weight classes for a reason. Golovkin has fought the biggest punchers in his division and has never been seriously hurt. The smaller Brook will be slowly stalked and laid out in brutal fashion. GOLOVKIN TKO4
Watch the debut press conference for the September 10 middleweight title match between Gennady Golovkin and Kell Brook. The fighters and promoters will be on hand to discuss the matchup’s backstory and undercard. The airs live on HBO from London’s O2 Arena.
