By: Sean Crose
First they wouldn’t fight at all. Now it appears they’re going to fight at least twice. Fellow Englishmen Amir Khan and Kell Brook are finally set to square off against one another on February 19th in Britain. This is the result of years of hostility, avoidance and a classic contemporary boing morass. Needless to say, both men are arguably past their primes. Talented and accomplished as they are, these guys have been through some wear and tear. Still, there does seem to be some curiosity remaining among boxing’s fan base. It makes sense then, perhaps, that the past the sell by date bout has itself a rematch clause.
“I believe there is a rematch clause,” Brook has told Sky Sports, “and I’m not sure that he’ll want to take that rematch clause or not with what I want to do to him in this fight.” To hear Brook tell it, the match with Khan is going to be a complete wipeout. “I think there’s going to be fireworks and as soon as that bell rings, I’m going to be marching out and I’m coming straight for him,” Brook said of Khan. “He’s going to want to do the same and there’s going to be speed, there’s going to be power and there’s going to be everything you want to see in a boxing match in this fight.”
Ultimately, Brook seems to be rather indifferent to the rematch clause. ” “I leave it to my manager, my dad and to my team,” said the 35 year old former welterweight titlist. “All I’m interested in is this fight. I do know that there’s going to be a rematch if Amir Khan wants that. If Amir Khan wants another beatdown he can have one.” Khan, of course, is taking a different perspective on things. One thing about Brook, however, the man seems truly eager for this bout.
“I’m enjoying the sport, I really am,” he told Sky Sports. “I know I’m 35 and not a spring chicken in the boxing game, but I just think that I feel in myself that I’ve done it many times before and the world has been wanting this fight for many years.” One of the elements surrounding this fight that makes it interesting – besides the fact that these two skilled fighters may still have some real pop – is the fact the combatants are most distinctly not fans of one another.
“This is a real grudge match,” said Brook. “There’s no love lost in this fight and we both don’t like each other. The fans and the pundits can’t split us and that shows how even this fight is going to be.”
