Kell Brook and Amir Khan Feature in 3 Christmas Wishes for British Boxing Fans
Socks. It is a certainty at Christmas that someone will give you socks.
There are no such certainties when it comes to British boxing, however. Despite a topsy-turvy year in terms of results on the world stage, the future continues to look bright.
Bearing in mind the festive period is a time for making lists in the hope of receiving gifts other than socks, Bleacher Report has come up with three Christmas wishes for British fight fans.
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We've made this list. The sub-editor's checked it twice. It is up to you to decide whether it's naughty or nice. As ever, your feedback is welcome.
Enjoy the festive break, and roll on a bumper boxing year in 2017.
Wish 1: Kell Brook and Amir Khan Finally Fight!
Despite verbally sparring with each other for years, a physical fight between Kell Brook and Amir Khan has never felt close to being made.
Well, not until now.
For so long, Khan appeared to have no interest in giving his fellow Englishman a huge payday. Whether he was right to think that way, the Olympic silver medallist believed Brook was beneath him.
However, for the first time, Khan has suggested he—or more correctly, his team—will consider sitting down at the negotiating table to discuss a deal.
"That fight between me and [Brook] can happen," he told FightHub TV (h/t Will Esco of Bad Left Hook) while attending the WBC’s annual convention in Florida. "I mean, I do consider it. I don't mind having that as a tune-up fight—the Kell Brook fight—before I go into big fights, so we're in talks. I've left it to my team."
Say what you want about Khan, but you have to admire his huge self-belief.
He is the mandatory challenger for the WBC’s welterweight title but will have to wait for his shot after champion Danny Garcia agreed to meet WBA counterpart Keith Thurman in a unification contest, which is booked for March 4 next year.
But to brand Brook—who still holds the IBF belt at 147 pounds—as an opponent to be considered for a "tune-up fight" is just plain insulting.
The timing feels right for the duo to settle the dispute over who is the best in Britain at the welterweight limit. Both men suffered setbacks in 2016, losing in attempts to beat superstar names.
While Saul Alvarez laid out Khan in a catchweight contest in May, Gennady Golovkin broke not only Brook’s orbital bone but also his undefeated streak in a middleweight title fight in September.
Now both on the comeback trail (Khan underwent surgery following the Canelo bout to fix a longstanding issue with his right hand), and although they won’t want to admit it in public, they need to get together.
Fights against Garcia or Thurman or Errol Spence Jr., the No. 1 challenger for the IBF title, are good, but a domestic dustup is the most lucrative option outside of the golden ticket of facing either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr.
British boxing loves a grudge match—just look at Carl Froch and George Groves’ battles at super middleweight and, going further back, Nigel Benn's battles with archrival Chris Eubank. Brook vs. Khan whets the appetite in a similar way.
They have contrasting styles that should jell too. Khan has quick hands and is known for blistering combinations. He also, however, has a reputation for owning a glass jaw. It may be less about low tolerance to punches and more to do with being far too easy to hit.
Brook, meanwhile, is big for the weight. So big, in fact, that his future at one stage appeared to be up at super welter. However, he will stick around—and drop just enough pounds—to face Khan at 147.
He may not possess Khan’s speed, but he’s technically sound, tough to knock over and able to work up close or from long range. Even if he had to give away rounds, Brook would fancy his chances of forcing a stoppage at any stage of the contest.
"We need to get that drama queen signed up and get rid of him for good," The Special One told TalkSport. "I'm ready to sign. I’m ready to do the job, get in there and end his career."
We are all ready for the fight to be signed, Kell.
The time has come for those involved to find a way to divvy up the pie, pick a date and find a venue suitably big enough to deal with the high demand for tickets.
Wish 2: Tyson Fury Makes a Comeback
Like the dining table ahead of Christmas dinner, the heavyweight scene provides a feast of options.
Anthony Joshua, Joseph Parker and Deontay Wilder hold world titles. We’re not fully sure how good any of that trio truly are yet, but their presence is rather refreshing in a division that was stuck in the doldrums for too long.
Wladimir Klitschko was the dominant force for so long. His reign was less one of terror and more one of forgettable fights against subpar opponents.
The man who changed the entire dynamic of the division is sadly out of action. Tyson Fury teased and tormented Klitschko before their fight in November 2015—including dressing up as Batman for a press conference—and then flat-out flummoxed him in the ring, once it was minus a layer of foam.
Sadly, Fury never had the opportunity to defend the world titles he claimed from Klitschko.
Contractually obliged to face Dr. Steelhammer again, the IBF stripped their new champion less than a fortnight after he’d been crowned in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The other belts were vacated once the planned rematch with Klitschko was scrapped for a second time. An ankle injury scuppered a summer meeting before personal problems put paid to the rescheduled date in October.
In the statement to declare he was relinquishing his titles, Fury revealed he’d been declared "medically unfit to fight."
The problems became clearer when the fighter told Stayton Bonner of Rolling Stone he was "going through a lot of personal demons." He admitted in the same interview to taking cocaine and had his licence suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control.
Having finished 2015 on the top of the world, Fury’s boxing future is unclear heading into 2017.
It can only be hoped we haven’t seen the last of him in the ring. At 28, the man who calls himself The Gypsy King should be hitting his prime years in the paid ranks.
He had the opportunity to prove that win over Klitschko was no fluke, but there was also the prospect of an Anglo-American showdown with Wilder in New York or Las Vegas or a battle closer to home against fellow Englishman Joshua at Wembley Stadium.
Right now, the most important fight for Fury is the one he faces with himself. Boxing has to take a back seat, but hopefully it isn’t the end of the line.
Fellow heavyweight Hughie Fury—Tyson’s cousin—gave cause for optimism during an interview with TalkSport's Fight Club (h/t George Mills of the Daily Star).
"The plan is I get my title, Tyson will come back and we’ll rule the heavyweight division together like the Klitschkos did," he said.
Hughie is an intriguing prospect, but British boxing would be better off if Tyson were also in action.
Wish 3: More Big Fights!
Admittedly, this is a rather obvious wish that could go on the list each year, but there is a reason to believe it could come true in the next 12 months.
Herbert Hoover once said: "Competition is not only the basis of protection to the consumer but is the incentive to progress." The 31st President of the United States definitely didn’t have boxing in mind when he uttered those words, but his quote rings true for the state of the sport in Britain.
Competition may make life more difficult for those involved in making the fights, but for the rest, it can only be beneficial.
Thanks to a deal with Sky Sports, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing stable has held sway in recent years. The financial backing from the broadcaster placed him at the top of the food chain.
In the opposite corner, rival promoter Frank Warren has fought hard to establish his BoxNation subscription channel. He has world champions on his roster but has also relied on picking up overseas cards to bolster the schedule.
However, in signing a multiyear deal to allow him to simulcast cards on BT Sport, Warren has dramatically altered the landscape. The official press release for the agreement described how the 20 shows to be aired on the two channels would be "premium live boxing events."
Matt Christie of Boxing News broke down what the union really means:
"What Warren has done, alongside his son George Warren—very much the [conductor] of this deal—is create a platform capable of seducing the leading fighters in the country, provide better competition for his existing troops, and in turn, ensure his endeavours reach a vast audience.
While BoxNation remains an excellent station for the hardcore fan, it does not have the reach nor clout of Sky. And when you’re a fighter of repute, you want your work to be seen by the largest possible audience.
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Warren was hardly subtle about his intentions when he said, per Declan Warrington of the Press Association (h/t the Daily Mail): "There are other fighters out there on other channels who may not be happy where they are. If they're out of contract, they can come and have a chat with us."
Hearn has had it easy of late. The BoxNation-BT Sport double team should make him step up his game in 2017.
Already Josh Warrington has signed up with Warren after ending his deal with Matchroom—and it's unlikely he will be the last to be tempted to make the move.
The sudden fight to retain and gain talent is great news for boxers' bank accounts and, just as importantly, the viewers who help pay the wages.
While forking out for two subscription channels (plus pay-per-view cards) is a steep price to pay to watch the best action, there are promising signs that you'll get more bang for your buck in the future.
With ITV also getting involved—albeit Chris Eubank Jr. against Renold Quinlan topping a PPV show is not a great start—the desire to broadcast live boxing is brilliant for the armchair fan.
Hopefully the ensuing battle to tempt viewers to tune in can lead to bigger and better cards being staged in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
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