By Edward Chaykovsky

IBF world welterweight champion Kell Brook (36-1, 25 KOs) has no worries that his previously injured eye will become a factor in the upcoming title defense against mandatory challenger Errol Spence (21-0, 18 KOs).

The fight takes place at Bramall Lane in Sheffield on May 27. Brook's promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed last week that over 20,000 tickets had already been sold.

Last September, Brook moved up by two weight divisions to challenge middleweight king Gennady Golovkin. During the fight, he suffered a fractured eye socket and was eventually stopped in the fifth round.

The injury required surgery and kept him out of the ring for several months.

Brook has been going through some tough sparring sessions with Amer Khan [not to be confused with Brook's career rival Amir Khan]. Khan is a former Central Area light heavyweight champion and tagged Brook with some shots in the exact area of the eye injury.

 “I’d not really thought about it much because I have got great faith in my surgeon Dr Mohammed-Ali. When he told me I am good to go I knew for sure I was. Amer ‘Killer’ Khan landed in sparring and after a few shots asked me how I felt and I said: ‘Fine’ it was like I had never been injured,” Brook told the Sheffield Star.

“If I had any future concerns then there would be no point in being in boxing. I don’t worry about it at all. It is stronger than it was before - the doctor is a precision surgeon and I honestly didn’t worry as soon as he gave me the green light. In fact, it was nice to get a hit on it. I was even more certain then that it was strong and I could take blows on it.”

Khan also spoke to the paper and said Brook was more than ready to hand Spence his first career defeat.

“We initially started body-sparring and then it developed into full on head sparring. “I think my weight advantage got me through the spar. If Kell can take a punch from a 15 stone tall, strong, very handsome, southpaw he’s got no problems with a loudmouth, wannabe American," Khan said.