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Kell Brook never got a big unification showdown at welterweight.
His highest profile bouts after his title win against Shawn Porter all ended in stoppage losses, twice with busted eye sockets.
Saturday though, he finally got something he always wanted.
Amir Khan was a bigger global star than he was. Brook at his best appeared to be the better UK fistic product. Finally matched in the ring, it was virtually no contest. Brook dominated and stopped Khan in what had to be among his satisfying victories.
We’ll never know if the fight would have played out differently years ago but it’s hard to imagine it would have. It took fighters more physical or talented than Khan to beat Brook at his best. It wasn’t clear who would have what in the ring going in this weekend but after a spirited first two rounds, it was clear Brook had a whole lot more.
Khan, as he always has, fought with heart even when outgunned. He didn’t quit. He made Brook force the referee’s hand. It wasn’t a great fight, but it was an overdue show.
Futures: Khan sounded like he might be headed to retirement after the loss. He already had a foot out the door with this his first appearance since 2019. If he’s done, he earned his time out of the ring. Khan’s was as fan friendly as a career can get, filled with multiple nail biting affairs accentuated by his flaws. He chased big fights, got some of them, and never left the impression that he wasn’t there to win.
Brook can move on to fight another day though opponent selection will need to be managed. Welterweight Conor Benn and middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. would both fetch a nice payday and in the case of Benn would give the younger man a sort of breakthrough opportunity. For now, it’s enough to have something to celebrate for the first time in a bit.
Linares to the Exit?
If Saturday was the end for Khan, there is some irony in it as it may also have been the end of the line for a fighter who provided a similar sort of thrill. Jorge Linares won belts from featherweight to lightweight but always stood out for the feeling of looming disaster no matter how good he looked before it struck.
Traveling to Russia, Linares appeared to build a lead on the cards before Zaur Abdullaev folded him in the final round. It wasn’t a great performance for either battler and the sharp performance Linares had last year against Devin Haney suddenly looked like a last stand. Linares will retire with seven losses, six of them inside the distance, his career always followed by the label of “if only.”
If this was the last time we see Linares, and at 3-4 in his last seven it would be a good time to go, it’s past time to embrace Linares for what he was. Courageous, talented, and fatally flawed isn’t a sin. Linares showed up to fight and didn’t short change the fans or himself.
Futures: For Abdullaev, the win opens up more opportunities. He is closer to another WBC mandatory. He isn’t going to reverse the outcome against Haney but if he waits for some talent to move on to new weights, the right opponent at the right time could mean a fair shot at a belt. If the best thing he does as a pro is say he won the last gunfight with Linares, that’s not so bad.
Cliff’s Notes…
Jaime Munguia has treaded water for a long time. It’s time to find out if he can really swim…William Zepeda-Luis Viedas was just awkward. Nothing clicked, including the officiating…Next weekend, like this one, looks like a weekend with a ton of boxing to watch but very little that stands out as must see. That will change in March.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.