The Middle Man: How Science Is Helping Kell Brook Prepare for Gennady Golovkin

American comedian and actor Milton Berle once said: "If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." Kell Brook didn't have to construct anything—he just had to answer his phone.

Thanks to one conversation with his promoter, Eddie Hearn, the IBF welterweight champion finally got the big bout he has craved ever since dethroning Shawn Porter in August 2014. And they don't get much bigger for Brook, both in size and reputation, than middleweight king Gennady Golovkin.

While the Eubanks stuttered over the terms of the contract for Chris Jr. to take on GGG, Brook jumped the queue, Hearn told George Gigney of Boxing News.

It was really less of a jump and more an almighty leap of faith. Here was a boxer who had exclusively campaigned at 147 pounds suddenly agreeing to step up two divisions for a crack at a man many view as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

The news caught the boxing world cold. Even Dominic Ingle, Brook's trainer who had been tipped off prior to the official announcement, didn't expect the contract to actually get signed.

"When it was kicking off with Eubank Jr. and Golovkin, I still didn’t think to myself that it was going to happen. We were thinking we were going to fight [WBO champion Jessie] Vargas," he said.

The proposed unification clash with Vargas had been in the pipeline for October. Now Brook had to be ready to go on September 10—and at a whole new weight limit, too.

However, the shift up to 160 pounds meant a shorter-than-usual preparation time wasn't so much of a problem, according to Ingle.

"Not having to make 10-and-a-half stone cuts out at least four or five weeks of training," he said. "For that purpose, it was possible. People said we only had nine weeks to do it [prepare] in, but he had been training beforehand.

"We normally have a 12-to-14 week camp, but we could shave the time off here because he doesn’t have to make the welterweight limit.

“When we have a normal camp, we know where Kell is, what stage we are along the line in the process, down to timing. Because he’s got to maintain strength for middleweight, it’s different."

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Modern-day boxing has negated the need for fighters to make such dramatic leaps in weight these days. The introduction of subcategories within each division has closed up the gaps.

Amir Khan took a calculated gamble when he went from welter to a catchweight of 155 pounds to take on Saul Alvarez in May. It did not end well for the Englishman, as he was knocked out in Round 6.

Now his domestic rival has followed suit, with Brook (36-0, 25 KOs) agreeing to face fellow unbeaten fighter Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) at the O2 Arena, London. Only there's no catchweight limit for their head-to-head.

"I have trained the odd one or two who didn’t fancy it—they cut corners because they didn’t believe they could win. That’s definitely not the case with Kell," Ingle said after overseeing a sparring session.

To help with preparations, Brook has gone back to school. Well, to be more precise, he's been attending university.

Not for the first time in his career, the 30-year-old has made use of a group of sports-science experts at Sheffield Hallam University to help get in peak physical condition.

Talent—not to mention his punch power—allowed him to get so far in the welterweight division. But against Carson Jones in July 2012, Brook received a rather painful wake-up call.

Although he was victorious by majority decision after 12 gruelling rounds, fitness issues made it far harder than it needed to be. Per Sky Sports, he admitted that he'd "cut some corners" during training, a mistake he would not make again.

The close call led to a change in attitude. The penny had dropped—it was time to take this job seriously.

When the rematch took place just over a year later, a fitter, stronger Brook stopped Jones in Round 8. The proof was in the (low-fat) pudding—the appliance of science had made a real difference.

Shortcuts are now something the 30-year-old only contemplates when he's sitting in a barber's chair.

Thanks to the combined knowledge of Dave Hembrough, Alan Ruddock and Danny Wilson at Sheffield Hallam, Brook has been working to a well-structured plan to make sure he can flourish at middleweight.

"It’s hard for boxers moving up weights," Wilson, co-founder of Boxing Science, a website that focuses on the physical and mental aspects of training for both amateurs and pros, said.

"With an increase in mass, you’ve also got an increase in energy demands on the body. You’ve got to put out higher force outputs. This can see them not carry up their strength, or be slow and fatigued.

"With Kell, we have focused on what is happening at the muscle. We have looked at making sure his muscles can deal with high intensities. Everything that we do is also monitored at speed—there are no grinding reps involved, no big lifting.

Harry How/Getty Images

"Everything is checked so he can carry his strength and speed up to middleweight. And every number he hits, the program changes."

The strength and conditioning side of training may not be quite as important as the technical and tactical work put in at the famous Ingle Gym, but it is a foundation for success at the highest level.

Moving up 13 pounds is not simply about eating and drinking more either. The focus has been on making sure Brook retains his core strength at his new weight, something Wilson explained was crucial to have a "positive transfer to his punch force."

"People don’t realise that he’s still coming down [in weight]," he added

"We knew he would be sparring bigger guys, too, so we needed him fresh for that. We put together a smart training plan, adapting to focus on strength, speed and fitness without fatiguing him too much. That’s the biggest challenge—we don’t want him being overloaded and the exercises taking too much out of him.

"Normally with a boxer, you focus on losing a lot of weight in a short amount of time. It [training] is about volume, not intensity.

"However, with Kell able to eat a little more and stay hydrated, we’ve been able to have energising sessions and push him that little bit harder. I think he will feel more energised in the ring, too, more comfortable at middleweight, because he hasn’t had to train as much to get down to the limit."

Wilson's task has been made easier by Brook's genetic makeup. These days, when he steps on the scales for a pre-fight weigh-in, the former British champion looks like he's been chiseled out of granite.

It's also notable that, unlike some of his fellow fighters in the sport, he doesn't skip leg day at the gym. He has a set of pins that appear so sturdy they could prop up the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

"No stone has been left unturned. We’ve seen from the data that he is getting fitter, faster and stronger. The numbers don’t lie," Wilson said.

"His body adapts to exercise really quickly. What you have is someone that is muscle-bound, really strong and fast and yet can work like an endurance athlete. He really ticks all the boxes."

From Ingle's point of view, putting on extra pounds is counterproductive if it is to the detriment of one his boxer's key assets—speed: "We’ve got to have usable muscle, because he’s got the frame to carry it."

Thanks to Wilson, that's exactly what Brook is developing. His tailored program is even adapted after each set of results has been analysed, with feedback given to the fighter. Scientific terms do not really interest him—he just wants to know the hard work is paying off.

Of course, it will take more than just a supreme conditioning program to conquer Golovkin. The Kazakh—who will be defending his IBF, IBO and WBC belts in the English capital—has a fearsome reputation for stalking his opponents before eventually chopping them down.

Yet Ingle is confident his charge can cope under pressure: "Someone’s advantage can be turned into a disadvantage. You look at Golovkin and he’s all about power, about closing the ring down. But Kell Brook can move when he needs to move. It’s nothing he hasn’t been seen before."

He points to the example of Mike Tyson—who shockingly lost his perfect record against James Douglas in fight No 38—to show how pressure fighters eventually get their comeuppance.

For GGG, the next outing will be his 36th in the paid ranks. So far, he's not been stretched beyond Round 11.

His fearsome reputation has led to a number of leading middleweights steering well clear (we're looking at you, Canelo). Likewise, Brook has found it difficult to find willing welterweights. In a way, the two were lost souls in boxing, both desperately searching for someone to take them on for an acceptable fee.

Now they have each other. They are the unlikely couple getting ready for their first date.

From Brook's point of view, it is a gamble worth taking. Financially, he is setting up his young family for life. And no matter what the outcome, he will still leave the ring a world champion, as his IBF welterweight title is not on the line. But this is about much more than money.

Like a dog in pursuit of a passing car, The Special One has chased Khan without any success. Now, having done nothing more than accept a call from his promoter, he finds himself in arguably the biggest fight of the year to date.

If Brook causes an upset—per Odds Shark, he's 7/2 to beat GGG—it will be a rich (in every sense of the word) reward for taking such a big risk in the first place.

He will also owe a great debt of thanks to the Boxing Science team at Sheffield Hallam University.

Rob Lancaster is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.