Kell Brook insists on challenging Terence Crawford
At one time, Kell Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) was one of the more talked about fighters in the welterweight division. A former IBF World Welterweight champion, there was talk of him engaging in big money fights against the likes of Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao.
Those high times and the buzz surrounding him are now no longer. His stock dropped following back to back defeats to Gennady Golovkin in September 2016 and Errol Spence Jr in May 2017, where he also lost the IBF world belt. Since those setbacks, his career has been besieged by inactivity, injuries, and lackluster performances in the ring.
Now nearing the end of his fighting days, the man from Sheffield, England says he’s refocused and feels he has enough in the tank to once again win a world title. Reinvigorated, one man at the top of his hit list is current WBO Welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (36-0, 27).
WHY TANGLE WITH BUD?
The former champion recently sat down with Umar Ahmed of IFL TV at his training camp on the island of Fuerteventura. He explained why he wants to fight the man regarded as one of the elite boxers in the world.
“I think he’s looking for an opponent, I called him out. Everybody in the world knows I want that fight. His biggest rival is Spence and you know the situation between me and Spence in that fight.
So I think it would be a massive test for Crawford. Obviously, he’s one hell of a fighter, arguably one of the top three Pound-For-Pound fighters. Like I’ve told everyone, I’m at the back end of my career and I really want to test myself against the best.”
A ringside observer of Crawford’s last fight, a 9th round stoppage win over Egidijus Kavaliauskas in December 2019, Brook acknowledges that the southpaw from Omaha, Nebraska is very good. However, he feels fighting such a high-caliber fighter would bring out the best in him and that his physical size will pose problems.
It is well known that 147 is a weight that Brook has struggled to get down to in the past. But when asked by Ahmed if he can still perform at the top level at 147lbs, the 34-year-old says he now has control over his previous weight issues.
“Yeah because I used to blow up, then crash it back down. Now I’m not blowing up. I’m eating very well, training hard. If they’re thinking about a fight in November, I’ll be 100% coming down to 147.”
Crawford’s promoter, Bob Arum, is looking to put his fighter back in the ring later this year. To boot, he has promised it will be against a “big name”. Amid the current travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, could we see a Crawford-Brook showdown?
It’s all speculation at this point whether Brook gets in the ring against Crawford. Stay tuned to 3KingsBoxing on any further developments on what’s next for the veteran who calls himself “Special K”.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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