Kell Brook realised his
boyhood dream when he defeated Shawn Porter to win the IBF welterweight title
back in August 2014. However since then his career has been stifled by injuries
and mandatory defences. There is no doubt that 2016 is a massive year for the
undefeated fighter from Sheffield.
Brook’s 2016 took a
turn for the worse when Amir Khan announced that he would be fighting Canelo
Alvarez instead of Brook. This was, and still is, a fight that Brook wants
desperately. Eddie Hearn had already booked Wembley Stadium for the 4th
June and it looked as though the fight was going to be made at the start of the
year however Khan managed to top it when he made the fight with Alvarez.
One must admit that
Brook looks lost. Even though he is rated number 1 at the welterweight division
by Ring Magazine there does not seem to be that huge summer fight on the cards
that him and promoter, Hearn keep banging on about. The options for Brook are
endless. There is the opportunity for a unification fight with Danny Garcia, the
winner of Porter/Thurman or the winner of Sadam Ali vs. Jessie Vargas for the
WBO belt.
However it seems that
no-one wants to fight him and why should they? Kell Brook is one of the most
dangerous fighters at the welterweight division and in my opinion he beats
everyone who has been mentioned already but he just has no marketability.
Eddie Hearn has invested a lot of money into Brook and it seems as if he is
going to be waiting a while longer before he sees a return on that investment.
It must be so
frustrating for Brook who has been so unlucky since he won the IBF belt. He was
stabbed in the leg on holiday just after he won the title and then he was
mandated to fight Jo Jo Dan and Frankie Gavin before being injured again just
before the Diego Chavez fight and now has to face another mandatory in Kevin
Bizier in March.
There have been many
critics that say he should give up his title in search of that big fight but
what these ‘boxing pundits’ fail to realise is that Kell Brook is nothing
without his title and that is why he has to keep fighting these ridiculous
mandatory defences.
His next mandatory
defence will be against the dangerous Errol Spence which should occur later
this year. The 18-0 fighter is an extremely dangerous opponent for Brook so he
will want to cash in on a massive summer fight while he still holds the belt.
Do not get me wrong, I
am a massive Kell Brook fan. He is arguably the best fighter at the
welterweight division, however due to his marketability he has struggled since
becoming champion. As mentioned above, 2016 is a massive year for the 35-0
fighter and let’s hope he gets the ‘super’ fight he deserves.
Tom Eckett
@boxingguru44
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