KELL BROOK has never much liked Amir Khan. The pair have been long-time rivals but, at least until recently, Sheffield’s IBF welterweight champion had managed to retain a semblance of respect for Bolton’s finest. The reported recent demands from Khan’s team, however – that have the WBC No. 1 insisting on 80 per cent of the purse – have tipped the balance and Brook feels disrespected.
“I’d fight him wherever, we need to sit down and talk but I’m flexible as long as he’s in the ring with me, the fans can get to the fight and the respect’s there for me bringing that world title,” Brook told Boxing News. “The politics side, I try to keep away from it, but there’s no way the champ is taking only 20 per cent. Let’s be realistic, we can all agree. I’d do 80-20 for the winner, I’d sign for that.”
That gambit, if endorsed by Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn and submitted to Khan’s team, would certainly test the confidence of Amir’s team in their man’s superiority. Although he will defend his title against Canada’s Kevin Bizier on March 26, Brook is ready and willing to meet Khan just 10 weeks later, so determined is he to make the fight happen.
“I’m in the frame of mind now, I had a bit of time off after the Frankie Gavin fight and the older you get the weight stays on more,” Brook explained. “It would be ideal to go straight out to camp after Bizier, bring my missus and kids out for a short time and then send them home and get really stuck in. I’ll already be fit, it’s about keeping them tools sharp. I know Wembley is booked, pencilled in for June 4. It’s maybe not the best for me but it keeps that Wembley date there for Eddie and everyone else, plus the fans will know they’ll get a serious, action fight.”
