Brook Destroys Khan to Score the Most Satisfying Win of His Career
Bad blood fueled the long-awaited British battle between Amir “King” Khan (34-6, 21 KO’s) and Kell “Special K” Brook (40-3, 28 KO’s) in front of a raucous crowd at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
Khan always had the higher profile and popularity going back to amateur days when he won Silver at the 2004 Olympic games. A former unified junior welterweight champion, the 35-year-old has been a fixture at 140 and 147 pounds for over a decade. But the last few years have been rough. The performances have been spotty at best, with his last victory being a fourth-round stoppage over Billy Dib in July of 2019.
He faced a Brook who has hungered for this fight. The former IBF champion believes Khan has looked down upon and been dismissive of him. At one time, Brook was viewed as a force at 147 pounds. But he’s never been the same since stepping up in weight and getting stopped by then-unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in September 2016.
In his next fight, Brook lost the IBF title to Errol Spence Jr. Like Khan, his career has been uneven over the years. “Special K” hasn’t won a match since a seventh-round stoppage win over Mark DeLuca in February 2020. Brook’s previous outing was a fourth-round stoppage loss to current WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford.
POWER SURGE
Khan is known for his fast hand and often fights in spurts. But Brook did an excellent job of staying patient, using his eyes to find the target. Late in round one, a Brook power jab and right hand wobbled his rival. Khan seemed to steady himself in the second. But late in the third, he was hurt against by the right hand from Brook.
Brook’s power showed itself again in the fourth and fifth. A hard jab wobbled Khan at the beginning of the sixth. Seeing Khan on visibly shaky legs, the former welterweight champ saw a wounded warrior and pounced as went on a full-out assault. With 2:09 left in the round and with Khan virtually out of on his feet, referee Victor Loughlin wisely stepped in and called a halt to the contest.
TIME TO CALL IT A DAY?
You must guess this has to be the most satisfying win of Kell Brook’s career. He channeled his pre-fight anger and put on one of his better performances in recent memory. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here after a sweet victory.
As for Khan, he didn’t look good at all. His notoriously weak chin resurfaced as he was overpowered. While there is a rematch clause, retirement seems the best option for him at this point.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
