Kell Brook aims to be the main man again
Below are quotes from today's Kell Brook and Kid Galahad media workout at the 12×3 Gym in Paddington as the pair prepare to return to the ring in respective fights on Saturday February 8 at the FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.
Brook (38-2, 26 KOs) will be aiming to shake off the ring rust and fire his name back into the mix for a Word Title shot in 2020 when he meets the USA’s Mark DeLuca (24-1, 13 KOs) while Galahad (26-1, 15 KOs) takes on Claudio Marrero (24-3, 17 KOs) in a Final Eliminator for the IBF Featherweight crown.
Kell Brook:
"I feel great, I feel good. We're four weeks out, I'm on weight, my training is going great. I'm ready to fight, I'd be ready to fight next week. It feels good to be preparing for a fight again. I'm fighting back in Sheffield, we know what we get from the fans – amazing support. It's always an amazing atmosphere in the arena.
"DeLuca is in front of me, an ex marine, a very fit fighter, very strong, he's going to come over here like it's his World Title fight. The fans are in for a real treat and I can't wait to give them that treat. I can't wait to perform and for the crowd to get behind me and push me on.
"Dom has watched DeLuca live a few times and I've seen little bits of him. I don't really watch tapes of my opponents but I'll watch a bit more of him in the next couple of weeks and then basically just listen to Dom and the game plan. The it's just about getting in there and executing it.
“At the beginning of last year it was frustrating because I was trying to get the Terence Crawford fight to happen. I was trying to make a few fights happen but they never materialised. 2019 was frustrating at first but then I was just enjoying my time with my little girls, went travelling about a little bit but then I started getting a bit bored and thought boxing is where I belong and I need to give some more of myself to the fans. I’ve got unfinished business and I want to give all I’ve got.
"I want whoever holds a belt, I want to be a two-time World Champion this year. I want to be on everybody’s lips, ‘I can’t believe what this guy’s done. I can’t believe it. What’s happened? He’s the main man again'. That’s what I’m aiming for."
Kid Galahad:
"I am fully focused at the moment on Claudio Marrero who is very dangerous and I’m sure this will be a difficult fight for me to win. He has great amateur pedigree as a former Olympian with the Dominican Republic, he’s only lost to high calibre boxers and he can punch.
"I’ve got to do a number on this kid and get him out the way. I have trained very hard for this fight and I will raise to the occasion, step up my game and be ready for whatever he brings to the table on February 8.
"I’ve got to be 100% ready and I can’t afford to make any mistakes because if I do that could be the end of the night for me.
"The day after my last fight I went back to the drawing board and straight back in the gym. I don’t believe that I lost that fight but the judges saw it a different way so next time I’ve got to make sure I don’t leave the decision to them.
"I believe the IBF is the best governing body and that’s why I’ve gone back down that route. I have got unfinished business and the IBF crown is the title that I want but I have challenges to overcome between now and then, if I don’t win this fight then there is no World Title fight for me.
"On February 8 you should expect fireworks and a boxing lesson from myself!"
Tickets priced £40, £60, £100 and £200 (VIP) are available to purchase NOW from the FlyDSA Arena (www.flydsaarena.co.uk), StubHub (www.stubhub.co.uk) and Matchroom Boxing (www.matchroomboxing.com)