Amir Khan Looking to Hurt Kell Brook and End his Career
After years of animosity, accusations, and verbal threats, Amir “King” Khan (34-5, 21 KO’s) and Kell Brook (39-3, 27 KO’s) will finally settle their differences in the boxing ring. The two are set to face-off on February 19 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
What you have here is a good, old-fashion grudge match. Among boxing circles, it’s known that the two outright despise each other. Mutual contempt has been at the center of the pre-fight lead-up. For Khan, the former unified junior welterweight champion told Sky Sports he’s hell-bent on not just winning but finishing Brook once and for all.
ALL BUSINESS
“I think it comes down to how hard you’ve worked and how hard I’ve worked going into this fight. Obviously, with the great sparring, great game plan we have for this fight, I’m just going to go in there and hurt Kell. That’s what I want to do. I don’t want to go in there and just box him, I want to go in there to hurt him and to put him away.”
Promising carnage on fight night, Brook says the beef goes back to their early days as pros. The former IBF welterweight champ claims his rival has always been dismissive and disrespectful of him. But with his silver medal in the 2004 Olympics and worldwide appeal in the professional ranks, Khan has been the higher profile, more popular, and marketable fighter. That spells being a bigger cash cow.
THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR
None of that matters right now, it’s all about what happens in the ring on fight night. With Brook’s series of injuries over the years, Khan sees a wounded warrior. Seething with anger, the former junior welterweight is chomping at the bit and can’t wait to put his fist on a fighter he views as his enemy.
“He’s already got smashed up eye sockets, he’s already been beaten, knocked out. This is the time now where I finish his career off, so he never needs to look at boxing again.”
Fans and pundits agree that both men are past their primes. This fight should have happened six or seven years ago when Brook held the IBF strap and Khan was still viewed as a top fighter in the junior welterweight/welterweight ranks. But in England, it’s still a big deal. Expect a sellout crowd and a significant television audience. Hatred is a wonderful noun in this sport. It certainly applies here to these aging warriors.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
