The Amir Khan-Kell Brook grudge match takes place a week today, and though we all agree the fight should have taken place as long as eight years or so ago, the fact is the fight has got us interested, still.
And we know the dislike Khan and Brook have for each other is very, very real; not a mere act designed to sell tickets. Khan says he will finish Brook’s career on Saturday in Manchester, Brook says he will send Khan into retirement.
Khan has also said he will not be content to just win; he wants to “hurt” Brook. Speaking with Sky Sports’ ‘The Gloves Are Off’, Khan said he will give Brook a nice payday as he ends his boxing career.
“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,” Khan said of his bitter rival. “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. This is going to be a nice payday for you, Kell Brook, so get this payday and walk away, leave the sport happy.”
Brook, 39-3(27) has indeed suffered broken facial bones during his career; in the loss to Gennady Golovkin and in the defeat to Errol Spence. Some perhaps overly cynical fans have asked the question: which will give first in the fight, Brook’s orbital bones or Khan’s chin? Brook naturally insists it will be him inflicting the damage on February 19th.
“It’s a long time coming for me, you’ll see,” Brook shot back at Khan. “He gets destroyed, he gets beat like I’ve been telling you for years. He’s never wanted this fight, it’s me that wanted this fight for the fans. He’s always had it his own way, he’s not having it his own way.”
The bad blood is thick in this fight, and very real. With a week to go, it’s still incredibly hard to pick a winner. Khan, 34-5(21) still has his amazing speed, Brook still hits hard. Both men are past their best yet both former champions are ultra-determined to win this fight. Does Brook catch Khan and stop him? Does Khan bust-up Brook and stop him? Or do we get a distance fight between the two veterans who are both aged 35?
One sign of a good fight is the fact that going in, you struggle to pick a winner. In this sense at least, Khan Vs. Brook is a good fight. Still.
