This is Rummy’s Corner.
Oh bloody hell! Better late than never. Coming up on February 19th at the Manchester
Arena, in a bout that will be televised on the wrong side of the pond on the streaming
app service known as ESPN+, former champions Amir Khan and Kell Brook
will engage in a great British showdown. Pip pip, cheerio! These two blokes have been
rumored to face each other for years now, and it is finally happening. I am gobsmacked.
Absolutely bonkers. Long live the Queen! I’m not sure if Brits actually speak this way,
but I’m feeling a little too knackered to investigate, so I can’t be arsed.
OK, take it easy! No need to throw a wobbly. I’m just taking the piss. I’m actually an Anglophile.
It’s true, I spell colour with a “u”. And I actually think this is a very interesting
match-up between two former world champions. Both of them are clearly past their best,
but they’re both still talented and I believe this showdown between two British speedsters will
likely result in a fun and engaging encounter. Kell Brook won his first world championship in
August 2014 when he defeated Shawn Porter by 12 round majority decision to win the
IBF welterweight title. Brook made 3 title defenses of that belt over the next 2 years,
before he jumped up to challenge the unified WBC/IBF middleweight world champion, Gennady
Golovkin. Brook moved up two weight classes to challenge Triple G, and it showed. Brook
was making a solid showing, but he was simply overmatched. Brook’s corner threw in the towel in
round 5. In his next fight Brook dropped back down to welterweight, and he lost the IBF title when he
was stopped in round 11 by Errol Spence Jr. Brook then won 3 fights in a row,
before his most recent bout in November 2020, when he challenged WBO welterweight champion
Terence Bud Crawford. Brook was again making a strong account of himself in the first few rounds,
but in round 4, Crawford drilled Brook with a short booming right that sent him staggering.The
ropes held him up and it was ruled a knockdown. Brook beat the count, and he looked mighty dazed.
Crawford pounced on him and referee Tony Weeks jumped in to wave it off. So that was the last
time we saw Brook in action, more than a year ago when he lost by 4th round stoppage.
Amir Khan won his first world championship all the way back in July 2009 when he beat
Andreas Kotelnik by lopsided 12 round unanimous decision. Khan earned the WBA junior welterweight
title with that victory, and Khan defended that title 4 times, including solid high profile wins
against Paulie Malignaggi and Marcos Maidana. In July 2011 Khan then squared off against
IBF junior welterweight champion Zab Judah, and Khan was phenomenal in this unification
showdown. Khan outclassed Judah and ultimately stopped him in round 5 with a body shot.
In his next fight, Khan dropped a controversial decision against Lamont Peterson. But Peterson
failed a drug test a few months after the fight, so Khan was reinstated as the WBA super duper
junior welterweight champion. And instead of having a rematch with Peterson, Khan fought WBC
junior welter champion Danny Garcia, and Khan was stopped in round 4. That was in July 2012.
Since that time, Khan was unsuccessful in his two championship bouts, the first of which happened
in May 2016, when Khan was knocked out in round 6 by WBC middleweight world champion Canelo Alvarez.
Then in April 2019, Khan was stopped in round 6 by WBO welterweight champion Bud Crawford.
So basically, Brook peaked between 2014 and 2016 at welterweight, and Khan was at his absolute
best at 140 between 2009 and 2011. In that sense, Khan is further removed from his peak form on two
fronts, size and time. Khan’s peak was more than 10 years ago and his best fighting weight was 140
pounds. Brook’s prime was more recent, and Brook’s prime fighting weight was 147 pounds,
which is where the Khan-Brook showdown will be taking place. Additionally, Brook’s last
fight was in November 2020 against an elite level operator in Crawford, but Khan’s was all the way
back in July 2019 against Billy Dib. These are all things that would logically seem to favor Brook,
although interestingly enough, Khan is 6 months younger, and both British
boxers will be 35 when they enter the ring. Both of these boxers are known for being very fast
with a good punch output and a good ability to put punches together in short quick combinations.
And they likewise both seemingly had their careers derailed following a single
loss that threw their respective career trajectories permanently offcourse.
When Khan lost against Peterson, I personally believe that Khan deserved to win that one.
Even with the two point deductions, which themselves were a bit dodgy, I thought Khan
did enough to win. But I’m not a judge, and officially Khan lost a split decision. Had
Khan gotten the victory that me and many others believed he deserved, it makes you wonder if his
career may have proceeded differently. Khan was on fire going into that one, with some excellent
high quality wins against Andreas Kotelnik, Paulie Malignaggi, Marcos Maidana, and Zab
Judah. Honestly I tend to believe Khan gets sold short on the whole. There was a time when he was
an outstanding elite level prizefighter who always showed a willingness to fight the big challenges.
But after Khan was knocked out by Danny Garcia, he was never quite the same. He had some good
wins after that, but I don’t think he ever fully recovered mentally after losing to Garcia.
When Brook went up to challenge Gennady, he was certainly daring to be great in a day and age
when daring to be great has become somewhat of a lost art form. But at the same time, even though
he admirably challenged himself, this decision was a real head scratcher at the time, because it
wasn’t as if Brook had already cleaned out 147, where there were a lot of potential match-ups
to be made - and still are, because after all of these years, we still have not seen the big time
showdown between Errol Spence Jr and Terence Bud Crawford. As many suspected, Brook was overmatched
against Golovkin, Brook suffered damage to his eye socket, and while he did put forth a brave effort,
Brook has never been the same. Had Brook not jumped those two divisions for Gennady, it makes
you wonder if his career would have unfolded differently if he just stayed at welter.
And now for something completely different, did you know that Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch defeated
George Groves in front of 80,000 screaming fans at Wembley Arena?
So who will win the upcoming British showdown between Amir
‘King’ Khan and ‘The Special One’, Kell Brook? Oof madone! I honestly have no idea whatsoever,
and that is part of the reason I am actually looking forward to this one. And the thing of
it is, even though these two have essentially been part time fighters in recent years - which
in fairness, Covid may have factored into all of that - but despite not regularly
boxing these past few years, whoever wins this fight might be able to easily pivot himself
back into the picture for a title shot or another lucrative opportunity, perhaps even a rematch.
A year ago I, like most fans, was looking forward to the possibility of an all-British showdown
for undisputed heavyweight supremacy between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
While still a possibility, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards for 2022. And I was really
hoping for a scenario like the one we got during the build-up to the heavyweight showdown between
Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno, where they hyped the fight by arguing over who was more
British. Anyway, like many, I’m gutted we got pied down where Fury and AJ bottled it, but like
a couple of phoenixes rising from the ashes, Amir Khan and Kell Brook have stepped up to fill the
all British void, and I for one am fired up! Logically speaking, all signs logically favor Kell
Brook. But I actually have a sneaking suspicion that Khan is going to be rejuvenated for this one,
so for my official prediction, I’m taking Amir Khan by 6th round stoppage where I think he
will prove to be quicker and more determined. But what the hell do I know? Whatever happens,
I am hoping for a good fight, and may the best man win on that night.
So who do you think will win the upcoming British showdown between Amir Khan
and Kell Brook? Please share your thoughts in the comment section. Pip pip, Cheerio.
Thanks for watching everyone, I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night.
This is Rummy’s Corner.
And now for something completely different. No matter how silly the idea of having a Queen
might be to us, as Americans we must be gracious and considerate hosts.