Kell Brook: “The respect I had for Amir Khan has completely gone out the window”

Kell Brook has described as โ€œscaryโ€ the knowledge that he fought Amir Khan on the day Khan failed a drugs test.

Khan, who retired from boxing in May 2022 โ€“ย three months after being stopped in the sixth round by Brook โ€“ย is serving a two-year ban after testing positive for the banned substance ostarine, which according to UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) is designed to have similar effects to testosterone.

The 36-year-old accepted that he broke anti-doping rules but said that he had not done so intentionally, and an independent tribunal accepted his argument, and therefore ruled out โ€œdeliberate or reckless conductโ€.

Brook, however, is regardless disturbed to have learned that Khanโ€™s performance could have been enhanced by the presence of a banned substance that night in February 2022 โ€“ one heโ€™d previously found cathartic following years of a bitter rivalry โ€“ย and revealed that it has made him fear for the future of his sport.

โ€œI want this to be highlighted, because Iโ€™ve got three beautiful kids and itโ€™s scary to know that he come in there, with this drug in him,โ€ he toldย Boxing News. โ€œItโ€™s basically going in there with a knife in one hand and a gun in the other โ€“ย in a fight. Itโ€™s not a fair fight.

โ€œHeโ€™s going in there on drugs, and it brings an horrible taste in me mouth. These young fighters, and the people what respect Amir Khan, and look up to him โ€“ heโ€™s putting it out there to young fighters that heโ€™s on drugs, and itโ€™s putting an horrible fucking name attached to the boxing game, and itโ€™s happening too often. And itโ€™s just disrespecting the sport โ€“ these fighters are taking drugs, and cheating, and itโ€™s destroying this game, that theyโ€™re doing this. Itโ€™s horrible.

โ€œThese fighters, from [Sugar Ray] Leonard days; [Marvin] Hagler; [Tommy] Hearns โ€“ all these fighters, these clean fightersย โ€“ and these days itโ€™s just getting tarnished with these drug cheats, and itโ€™s putting a fucking horrible name on the game, whatโ€™s been beautiful and lovely, and given the fans and the fighters exciting nights. Itโ€™s just, horrible.

โ€œIโ€™m still a bit numb from it. He was the one that wanted all this drug testing in place. With the breaking news, and me finding out after everyone else โ€“ itโ€™s been over a year since the fight happened, and nobody phoned me [to say], โ€˜He failed a drug test after the fightโ€™. Iโ€™m scratching my head about. However it happens, Ben [Shalom], the promoter, UKAD; the [British] Boxing Board [of Control]. Nobodyโ€™s contacted me, in a fight โ€“ someone failing a test โ€“ what I was involved with. It just baffles me.

โ€œThe respect I had for Amir Khan has completely gone out the window. Because it makes me put into perspective โ€“ย how long has he been on these drugs? Iโ€™m still waiting โ€“ย itโ€™s still fresh โ€“ย and Iโ€™m still thinking, โ€˜Whatโ€™s he gonna come out with? What is the reason? Why is it in his system?โ€™ He failed a drugs test. Iโ€™ve got mixed emotions, at the moment, about it, but all I know is he failed a test and I were fighting him in that fight.โ€

Ostarine is also listed on the World Anti-Doping Agencyโ€™s (WADA) 2022 Prohibited List as an anabolic agent and is prohibited in sport at all times. Khan was notified about the adverse finding โ€“ from February 19, 2022 โ€“ on April 6, 2022, and issued with a provisional suspension from all code-compliant sport.

โ€œIt makes me think โ€“ย โ€˜cause I hit him with some big heavy shots in that fight,โ€ said Brook, also 36. โ€œEven after, I said to Dom [Ingle, my trainer], โ€˜I donโ€™t know how heโ€™s stood on his feet that longโ€™, to be honest with you, โ€˜cause I hit him with some nice shots and he still stood there, so it makes me think, โ€˜Whatโ€™s this stuff heโ€™s on? Could he just get through it better with this stuff in him?โ€™ Thatโ€™s what itโ€™s made me think. If not, I reckon I couldโ€™ve flattened him in round one.โ€

Share Page