Via Adam Foy: In front of a predictable crowd at Manchester’s AO Arena, Kell Brook surprised many pundits by edging out Amir Khan in sixth extra time victory.
This is a fight that has been going on for a very long time and the two men have had insults for more than a decade, so it is perhaps no surprise that the wits continued until the very end. when Amir Khan’s team noticed that Brook was wearing ‘horsehair gloves’; glove of a puncher that continues to expose knuckles. Because it was contractually agreed that both fighters would wear foam-padded gloves, Brook was forced to quickly change them, which caused a fifteen-minute delay.
If anything this increased the tension of the 20,000+ attendees, and by the time Michael Buffer ripped the legendary verse ‘Get ready to Rumble!!!’, everyone was on lockdown.
The boxers were called into the middle to listen to their final instructions from the referee, and Khan popped his toes as Victor Loughran threw a “God bless” sentence for good measure and insisted that the two touch. glove. However, Brook remained completely still, not taking his eyes off Khan even for a second.
This caution would continue throughout the night and eventually lead to the vindication of the Kells sought for years, but for the first minute and a half, Khan looked pretty sharp, landing jabs and hooks and generally forced Kell into a fairly tight defensive position, although at this stage the Sheffield man was always careful to yield ground only to the extent necessary, forcing Khan to work and move, and only before at the two-minute mark, Brook landed with a long, straight right hand that changed the night in less than a second.
The Olympic silver medalist’s infamous glass chin was severely cracked in the first round, and although Khan somehow managed to keep his back straight, he never did. recovery is possible.
What followed was a show of bravery and tenacity as you can see from Khan, who ended the fight on his feet and deserves praise for his resistance, because this is a battle.
For the next five rounds, Kell relentlessly chased his target and Amir never had a chance to breathe.
In a perfect world, Brook would probably use the jab to set up his shots a bit more, which could lead to the clean knockout most of his supporters have come to expect. , but he still has to be commended for the composure and focus he showed throughout this fight, which allowed him to impose his natural style of consistent timing and pressure. on Khan, repeatedly smashing him until Loughran jumped in with a well-timed ramp in the 6th round.
I could talk more about individual moments in the fight; Khan lands cleanly on a stream chin and Brook’s lack of reaction or Brook’s cleverness tying Khan up at key moments, but the real story of the fight is Brook’s incredible timing compared to the fragility. by Khan.
In future discussions it will almost certainly be suggested that Khan is a force to be spent in this fight, and yes, he certainly seems to lack the explosiveness and speed absolute hand in his early career, but the same bad guys have firmly aimed for Brook in the build-up to the fight and I assume Brook has seen just as much wear and tear over the course of his career. So personally, I believe this fight will always play out the same way.
In the end, it’s hard not to feel happy for Kell, as he happily jumps into Daddy’s arms, I mean Dominic Ingle’s, after finally making the point he’s been trying to make. for many years, and that both fighters are equally tolerant in defeat and Victory should be a satisfying ending for most boxing fans.
It is clear that by this point, Khan should retire. His career has been fantastic, but it’s clear in hindsight that this fight is at least one too many.
Brook, on the other hand, has presented itself as a real test of burgeoning boxers like Connor Benn, and most of us want to see that bout.
It’s hard to see how Kell will benefit from that and this seems like the ideal opportunity for him to go into the sunset.
Whatever the future holds for either man, they’ve both certainly earned their legacy and perhaps deserve some time to relax.
