Eddie Hearn Says Mark DeLuca is “Do or Die” for Kell Brook!
In the sport of boxing, a fighter can go crashing from the heights of their career to the bottom of the barrel with frightening rapidity. Stories of this ilk are as common as funk in a dog kennel. At the moment, UK boxer Kell “Special One” Brook (38-2, 26 KO’s) is trying mightily not to join the ranks of those previous crestfallen pugilists.
A TROUBLED PAST
Back in 2016, the Special One was riding high as the undefeated IBF welterweight champion of the world. At the time, Brook was so sold on his own skills and capabilities that he jumped up not one, but two divisions to face the then-unified middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KO’s). This would prove to be a disastrous move.
When the bout began, Brook displayed marvelous boxing technique and made many think that he might be able to pull off the unthinkable. That was before the other shoe dropped! Once Golovkin became a bit more acclimated, and warmed up, he would ultimately deliver the UK star one sound and unforgettable thrashing.
When the bout was over, in the fifth period, the Special One had been beaten, bruised, stopped and saddled with a broken eye socket. In an attempt to rebound from the catastrophic outing, Brook dropped back down to welterweight in order to defend his IBF strap against his mandatory challenger Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr (26-0, 21 KO’s).
Once again, Brook was put through a meat grinder, roughed up, stopped and left the ring with his opposite eye socket cracked. The Special One would return to the ring twice, against lower tiered opposition, in 2018 only to take the entirety of 2019 off. Now, we’re poised to see what Brook has left in the tank when he faces Mark DeLuca on Saturday February 8.
SINK OR SWIM
Painfully aware of the potentially gloomy scenario, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, while optimistic, pulled no punches when discussing the upcoming bout with Boxing Social.
“I believe you will see the ring rust. I think it’s impossible not to see it. I think when we look at the opponents, we wanted an opponent in the top 15 in the world. I’ve had Mark DeLuca now on three shows.
“He boxed really well last time out. Fit, strong, good work rate, speaks well, looks good, nice man. I wanted to give him the opportunity. Kell Brook should be beating Mark DeLuca, if he doesn’t, he’s finished!
“The most refreshing thing about Kell Brook is his honesty and the fact that he said ‘I cut corners. I wasn’t disciplined, I didn’t live the life!’ I know that because I saw it for ten years but once you admit that to yourself, it’s easier to right the wrongs.
“Let’s just hope that it’s not too late because if it’s too late. It doesn’t matter now that you’ve decided that you should try harder or make weight better. If you’re not the same fighter, you’re not the same fighter and you’ll get found out.
“But I believe that Kell Brook remains one of the best talents in the world, and if he’s still got the ability, this new hunger and drive is going to help him a lot. And I am excited for the year ahead.”
Thankfully for the fans, we don’t have much longer to wait to see what version of Brook is left.
By: Bakari Simpson
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