Khan-Brook – Will it happen? Won't it happen? Do we even want it?
We are never too far away from a spark in conversation when it concerns bitter rivals Amir Khan and Kell Brook.
Once again, the name-calling, rumours and conversations have started. It is seemingly never too long before the speculation surrounding the fight starts. This time, 'King' Khan took to calling out 'Special K' Brook, stating he wants to put Brook in his place. The fight came closest to being made back in 2018. However, talks and negotiations fell through, with Khan instead opting to face the pound for pound phenom, Terrence Crawford.
Call me a cynic, but with both fighters seemingly at the end of the road and not in the world title conversation anymore, it seems that the need from both for this fight is stronger than ever with one final payday to take into retirement.
The real question is, do people want to see this fight anymore? As mentioned previously, it is understandable that the fighters would want this fight, but do the British public care enough after all these years? The best way to understand why the fighters could agree to this is to understand their recent records.
This fight may now finally be made, and this is down to the current position both fighters find themselves in. Both aged 34 and firmly in the final stages of their careers, neither are in their prime and are no longer able to compete at the elite level of world boxing. Additionally, they both are no longer big draws and certainly won't get fights against the best in the world. Therefore, it seems a perfect fight for both as they can take on one last meaningful fight, which will also replenish the retirement fund.
Both stepped up to middleweight, taking on the two fighters who everyone wanted to see square off – arguably, the two biggest stars in world boxing, Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez.
The recent careers of Amir Khan (34-5) and Kell Brook (39-3) have taken similar paths. In 2016, both fighters took on their biggest challenges. They both seemed to be searching for a big name and consequent a big payout. Piling on the pounds to step up to an unnatural and unsuitable middleweight division, both fighters took a leap of faith in taking on the best of the best. The two most feared names in the sport at the time, and the fight that every boxing fan was calling for, was between Saul Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. Identical situations, producing almost identical outcomes.
Khan retired in the corner at the end of the fifth, by a strange low blow incident at the hands of pound for pound superstar Saul Alvarez. Similarly, Brook was stopped in the fifth by the monster Gennady Golovkin.
Brook did reload, putting his IBF welterweight title on the line against the unbeaten and now world-renowned Erroll Spence. Again, Brook was stopped, this time in the 11th round.
After falling short at the upper echelon of world boxing, both again took comparable routes. In a slightly more credible fashion, Brook won the WBC silver super welterweight title against Sergey Rabchenko. Brook then took what could be considered filler fights, facing Mark Deluca and Micheal Zerafa. After Alvarez, Khan faced similar levels in Samuel Vargas and Phil Lo Greco. In the final similarity, both fighters took on one last challenge and a step up to the elite level in Terrence Crawford. Both were comfortably beaten, with the Bolton man retiring peculiarly due to a low blow at the end of the 5th. Brook faced a more emphatic defeat, being stopped in the 4th. Leaving both in the current day, neither able to mix it with the elite of boxing anymore.
So here we are, Khan and Brook both with no real other option that would be worthwhile on a financial front, let alone enhancing their legacies. Therefore, this could be the time when this happens. Of course, these are the men that put themselves in harm's way for our entertainment, so you couldn't argue they don't deserve one more meaningful fight. It may even be the perfect send off to two British greats. However, when most fans wanted it in 2018, they went down other avenues. So, should fight fans be pleased with this fight now?
It depends on which way you view it. Most fans can't resist a domestic scrap, especially when both fighters despise each other. People at first may feel flat about this fight, but you can bet with some well-done build-up and the two going back and forth, the interest levels would rise considerably. If you can accept that this is no longer a blockbuster fight, but still two British ex-world champions going face to face, then you are more likely to be excited and happy to see this one. However, some may feel hard done by that this wasn't produced when it meant something. Tedium over this fight has also grown due to the consistent, will it or won't it predicament that has gone on for years now. In ways, it feels as if we are getting this due to the two fighters having nowhere else to go, but wanting a payday. Maybe cynically, this perhaps makes certain fans feel unappreciated and almost used as a bank balance filler.
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