Kell Brook Must Seize the Chance to Make a Statement Against Diego Chaves

So now we officially know what we actually already knew—Diego Chaves will be Kell Brook's opponent when he makes the third defence of his IBF welterweight title on October 24.

The announcement of the bout, which will be staged in the unbeaten Brook’s home city of Sheffield, England, received mixed reviews—and that's putting it kindly—on social media.

It seemed fight fans planted themselves in one of three different camps when judging the matchup— positive, negative and neutral. Here are some examples (in that same order):

The best word to sum up Brook versus Chaves? Underwhelming.

In a division with so much star quality, the Argentinian (23-2-1, 19 KOs) doesn’t make the top 10 for BoxRec. He does sit in eighth spot on the ratings from Ring Magazine, but Brook is nestled in just behind the publication's champion, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

However, Chaves should not just be dismissed out of hand as a soft defence for the champion.

He has faced three fighters that Brook has been linked to in the recent past: Timothy Bradley Jr., Brandon Rios and Keith Thurman. Chaves, though, didn’t win against any of them.

He drew with Bradley last time out, while his bout with Rios was a close-run thing until he was disqualified in the ninth round. Despite being deducted two points, the 29-year-old was actually ahead by one on two of three scorecards.

He is undoubtedly a step up from Brook’s previous defences, against an overmatched Jo Jo Dan and an undersized Frankie Gavin.

But, the South American is also a step down from the big-name fighters the British boxing public wanted to see the Special One go up against at this stage of his career.

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There was talk of Rios in an outdoor bout at Bramall Lane, the home of Sheffield United Football Club, but negotiations broke down between the two camps.

There was also the suggestion that Juan Manuel Marquez could be next up. The Mexican's trainer, Nacho Beristain, mentioned Brook as a potential opponent for his fighter's return during an interview with Boxing Scene (h/t Sky Sports). However, it didn't go any further than that.

Then, of course, there has been the focus on a domestic showdown with Amir Khan. The potential clash to find out who is the best welterweight in England has filled newspaper columns, clogged up Twitter feeds and led to several rounds of verbal sparring between the pair in the media.

It might yet happen in 2016, but only if Brook (35-0, 24 KOs) gets the job done against Chaves next month.

The challenger seems confident he can throw a spanner in the works, per Diego Morilla of Ring Magazine:

"

We know he is a technically proficient fighter and I believe this plays right into our hands. We have a similar style.

I think Brook needs to go to the body a little bit more, but that's typical in European boxers. We know he is a tough fighter.

He's not a fast fighter. He is easily bothered by body punches, and that is one of our strengths. And I believe he has problems going backwards.

"

Forcing Brook to go backward is not easy. Former champion Shawn Porter tried, but all he ended up doing was losing his IBF belt.

The Sheffield fighter is a tough man to shift in the 147-pound division. At 5’9” he is taller than he looks in the ring, while he has broad shoulders and, when boiled down to the weight, looks to be made of stone.

To try to overpower Brook would be a tactical mistake. The champion warned his opponent as much, telling Matchroom Boxing:

"

I’ve seen some of Chaves’ quotes and it’s interesting to see he thinks he can walk me down and over-run me.

I don’t think some fighters realise how big I am and how sharp and accurate I punch and I’m looking to make a major statement against him.

If he does what he promises it’s going to be one hell of a fight.

"

His trainer, Dominic Ingle, told Bleacher Report earlier this year that, “Kell’s the type of fighter, much like Naseem Hamed was, who tends to train for the threat.”

Chaves is a threat, make no mistake about that.

He also might be the gatekeeper to Brook being exposed to a wider American audience, as Throw The Jab suggested on Twitter:

Brook is right to see his next defence as a chance to make a statement.

Thurman—who is the reigning WBA champion—got rid of La Joya in 10 rounds. If Brook can do something similar, or even get the job done in a more emphatic fashion than One Time managed, it should create a few ripples in the Atlantic pond that reach all the way to the United States.

Chaves may not be the opponent everyone hoped the IBF champ would meet next, but that shouldn’t detract from the importance of the bout.