Kell Brook really does come across as a very confident fighter entering his massive challenge of feared middleweight king Gennady Golovkin (the man and his power he is of course referring to in the above headline). Of course, any fighter who has called for a big fight and got it should be fully confident he is going to win, but there are sceptics out there who feel Brook – who is a huge underdog according to the latest betting odds available – has taken this fight for the huge payday and nothing more.
Naturally, none of these cynics would say this to Brook’s face even if they did get the chance to meet the IBF welterweight champ, but they’re out there – the naysayers. But Brook is not listening to any of the negativity, insisting he will, “shock the world.” Yes, it’s a cliché, but Brook really does seem to believe in his heart victory will be his on September 10. In fact, the 36-0 operator says he is even looking forward to tasting GGG’s incredible power. Far from being frightened by this prospect, Brook told Sky Sports News it will be he who will be frightening on fight night.
“If you ask any of my sparring partners when I get down to that natural weight of 160-pounds, I’m a beast,” Brook said. “I’m a different animal. What it takes for me to get down to 147 is really hard. Anyone who knows me will tell you. In this fight I’m going to shock a lot of people. I’m going to be frightening on fight night. As crazy as it sounds, I’m looking forward to feeling his power. I just can’t wait to get in. We’re making history in this fight.”
Brook maintains how “no-one” would fight him at 147, either by flat out avoiding him or by “pricing themselves out.” That’s debatable (and I’m sure if we asked Keith Thurman, Shawn
Porter (who would be having a rematch with Brook) or Jessie Vargas (who was so close to facing Brook) they would tell a different tale. But Brook has the Golovkin fight and with it a chance to supersede each and every one of his one-time potential welterweight rivals. If Brook can pull it off in September he will become a massive star/sensation. But it’s all well and good when Brook says he is “looking forward” to feeling GGG’s power; the big question is, will he be able to take this power?
So far, in 35 fights, no-one has been able to find a way to take Triple-G’s power to the extent of being able to beat him. Will Brook get a shock when he first feels the full effect of a Golovkin shot (remember the look on the tough Curtis Stevens’ face when he took a bomb and was sent down by GGG!)? If, however, Brook CAN take Golovkin’s power, we will be in for an extremely interesting, potentially brutal fight. Then we might be asking ourselves how well Golovkin will be able to keep taking Brook’s power.
This fight is no mismatch and Brook is not exaggerating when he says he is (or was) a “massive” welterweight. Those of us who have been up close to Brook have wondered for some time how he possibly made 147 without weakening himself. Maybe Brook, a man who, when he was battling Porter, looked like a natural super-welter, was taking something out of himself in his recent welterweight fights. On fight night, there probably will not be much difference in weight between Brook and the defending champion (Brook has entered the ring close to the super-middleweight limit before).
Golovkin might have to go the full 12-rounds for the very first time in September. That would be moral victory enough for Brook, but the Sheffield man wants nothing short of a win. How shocked will you be if he gets one?