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Even when their Saturday fight was made official last November, there was the opinion that after years of waiting, something would happen to keep Kell Brook and Amir Khan from throwing hands in Manchester.
But here we are, days away from a fight many thought we’d never see. That “many” includes Brook.
“There were times when I thought this fight was never gonna happen, but here we are, fight week, and I’m so pleased that the fans are gonna get to see it,” said the former IBF welterweight champion, who said there was no truth to the rumor that he sent some bubble wrap to Khan in order to keep his rival safe until the opening bell.
“Let’s make sure that he turns up in that ring and he’s across from me on Saturday night,” he said. “That’s what I need to see.”
The Sheffield native has seemingly needed to see Khan in the ring forever, or at least since the two were amateurs. And while the fight was always mentioned in the press and by the fighters, nothing ever materialized. It’s one of boxing’s great mysteries, because it was a natural matchup on all levels. There was a backstory of the two sparring, plenty of animosity between the domestic rivals, and at various times, Khan and Brook were among the best in the game. Did I mention that when the fight was finally made, it sold out AO Arena in 10 minutes? So why did it take this long, especially since promoters are in this business to make money? Brook doesn’t put the blame on any promoters.
“I was surprised, because we are prizefighters, and because of our history, myself and Amir were always gonna earn a lot of money from the fight,” said Brook. “I know he’s got a family like myself, so I didn’t understand why he didn’t want to improve the funds for his family. It baffled me, but it has come to this late, late date. It should have happened many years before, and I think the people do know, because the decision is always left with the fighter over the promoter in my eyes. If two fighters want a fight, it does happen. And I’ve been vocal about this fight and wanting this fight, and I think it’s clear to everybody now that’s it him who has been holding it up until now.”
About the only negative about this fight is that it doesn’t pit the two against each other in their prime, but on the tail end of their careers. The 35-year-old Khan hasn’t fought since a 2019 win over Billy Dib that followed a stoppage loss to Terence Crawford three months earlier. As for Brook, also 35, a three-fight winning streak was snapped by Crawford in November 2020, making him wonder if his days in the ring were over.
“It was up in the air for me,” he said. “I was at a moment in my career where it was, ‘Where else do I go?’ It was just like doing nothing really. There was nothing appealing for me, so I started to maybe think about calling it a day.”
Well, something appealing showed up, begging the question, is the Khan fight a way to go out on top, or the start of a second chapter for an already impressive career?
“That’s a good question because I’ve really, really enjoyed the training camp,” Brook said. “Normally, it’s another training camp, another slog of going through hell through training, but my mojo is back again. I’ve enjoyed training, I’ve enjoyed having the guys around me, I’ve enjoyed the laughs and the jokes and being with the guys and training and improving week by week. So it’s gonna be one of them where after this fight’s over, I’ll sit down with my immediate family and we’ll have a big discussion on what I do next. Do I carry on? Because it’s always hard for a fighter to call it a day. And just the way I’m performing in the gym and how I’m feeling, I do want to carry on, but let’s get Saturday out of the way and have that discussion and basically see what happens when my family who love me and myself have the conversation on what I want to do.”
As he said, that’s a conversation for another night. For now, it’s all about the fight that fans around the globe have wanted to see and that Brook has wanted to give them. Yeah, the build-up has been intense and the bad blood is boiling, but seeing how the boxing world has reacted to this weekend’s bout makes Brook smile.
“This fight is what I’ve wanted to give them for years and years, because I know how much it means to them and you can tell by how fast this fight got sold,” he said. “It sold out in like 10 minutes. I’m so happy and pleased. I have a smile on my face every day since the fight got signed. And when the fans approach me, I’m just happy that I’m able to give them the fight that they wanted, as well as myself. I’m over the moon that this fight is happening, finally. The fans are in for an unbelievable treat on Saturday. They’re gonna see me and Amir square off in that ring and it’s what they’ve wanted for a long time and it’s what I’ve wanted for a long time, and they’re gonna get it on a massive scale. They’re gonna get an extremely exciting fight, fireworks from the off. No matter what, the fans are the ones that are gonna get the action, and they’re gonna see one helluva fight from myself. They’re gonna see me turn up one hundred percent ready, focused and ready to deliver them the fight of this decade, of our era, because they deserve it and they’re getting it.”
I tell Brook that it’s one of the biggest fights of 2022. He one upped it with fight of the decade talk, eh?
He laughs.
“I believe this fight has all the ingredients to be a fight of the decade – with our styles, the dislike, the story behind it. I can see it being one of them fights where the fans are gonna be the ones to walk away and have the best night of their life watching the fighting game.”
Brook sounds almost too happy to get into a fistfight this weekend, but don’t worry, emotions are still running high. Will that be an issue once the bell rings?
“I wouldn’t like it to be part of the equation, but I think it’s gonna be in there,” he said. “It’s gonna be hard to take care of it just because of how much I dislike the guy and how much I want to punch him in the face. It’s gonna be hard to hold it down. There’s a lot of emotion, a lot of who the better fighter is, and it’s gonna come on Saturday night from both sides. It’s gonna be the same for him, even if he says it isn’t. That’s what’s gonna come. So I’ve just got to stay professional. It’s my 43rd fight, I’ve got a lot of experience at a high level, and I’ve just got to go out there and just do what I do and be the best I can be.”
So will the score be settled when it’s all over? Time will tell. But Brook does admit that he may just owe Khan a thank you for giving him that fire one more time.
“I think I’ve gotta thank him on many different avenues,” said Brook. “Obviously I’m gonna leave more millions for my family and my kids. I’m also gonna give the fans the fight they wanted and have wanted for many years. And it’s pulled me out of maybe a dark place I’ve been in. He’s definitely improved me as a man with my mental health. I’m focused on what I’m doing and in the gym – I’m focused on the 19th of February and I’ve got to thank him because it’s given the fans this fight and it’s a fight I’ve wanted for a long time and I’ll be satisfied with my career. Winning a world title in America against Shawn Porter, fighting (Gennadiy) Golovkin at middleweight, which wasn’t heard of, and then fighting Terence Crawford. I’ve been at a high level, but having this grudge match is the icing on the cake in my career. If I do walk away, I can be satisfied with my career because I’ve tried my best to make these fights happen for the fans and I finally made this fight happen for the fans.”