Floyd Mayweather 1 Fight Away as Kell Brook Targets Juan Marquez, Not Amir Khan
After crushing Jo Jo Dan in the mandatory defence of his IBF welterweight title, Kell Brook is dreaming big as fights with Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather await in the pipeline for the undefeated Brit.
The Sheffield star has admitted he’d love to fight Marquez at Bramall Lane and, if he comes through that potential bout, promoter Eddie Hearn plans to pit his man against the winner of the May 2 showdown between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, per David Anderson of the Mirror.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Brook—now undefeated in 34 professional fights—was starry-eyed when asked about the prospect of facing Marquez in his hometown, per Anderson’s piece:
"Bramall Lane, Marquez – that would be unbelievable. Looking around the stadium, standing across from Marquez, defending my world title there – that’s what dreams are made of.
That fight would make me a superstar. He’s one of the best out there, to beat him over here would be amazing. I’d be recognised as a top world star in the welterweight division.
"
While that fight would be a remarkable one for the man known as Special K, the demand in his home country since that emphatic win over Dan has been for a potential all-British showdown between him and Amir Khan at Wembley.
Dan Rafael of ESPN thinks it’s a fight that should happen sooner rather than later:
According to Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail, Brook does want the fight, but he has given his compatriot 48 hours to make a decision before pursuing other illustrious options.
Indeed, Brook was quick to call out the Bolton-born Khan in the aftermath of his win over Dan, but the former Olympic silver medalist feels Special K still has a lot to prove at the elite level and that he’s been disrespectful in his endeavours to get the fight on, per Sky Sports:
"He’s only beaten one good fighter—[Shawn] Porter. He needs some good wins against the likes of [Brandon] Rios, [Juan Manuel] Marquez, [Keith] Thurman, [Marcos] Maidana and the fight will be even bigger.
I’d love to shut him up. Why give someone a payday when they constantly disrespect you all the time? The fight will happen when it’s meant to happen. Before the fight he said I bring nothing to the table, no title and he don’t need to fight me as he’s the champion. Now he’s calling me out.
"
It’s tough to disagree with Khan’s assessment. While Brook was sensational in beating Dan, the challenger was well out of his depth from the opening bell. If Special K was to back up this win with a victory over someone like Marquez, Brandon Rios or Keith Thurman, that’d add even more spice to a potential all-British showdown.
There will be some unrevealed concerns on the part of Khan too. He’s done well to re-establish his own reputation with a string of impressive recent performances, and a loss to Brook—an undeniably dangerous opponent—on home soil would unravel a lot of positive strides that he has made in recent bouts. Despite the lucrative sums involved, he may feel the Wembley showdown is just too big a risk.
Both fighters seemingly have their eye on a potential showdown with Mayweather or Pacquiao, and it'll be intriguing to see which Brit is willing to take the biggest risks in order to get his chance.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
