By Miguel Rivera

WBA/WBC/IBO/IBF middleweight champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin (35-0, 32KOs) admits he was surprised when IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (36-0, 25KOs) accepted the opportunity to fight him on September 10th at the O2 Arena in London.

Golovkin was negotiating a fight with British middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr. While the champion was able to reach an agreement on the terms, Eubank never secured the terms that he wanted from his own promoter and the fight fell apart.

Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport promotes both Eubank and Brook. When the fight with Eubank fell apart, he contacted Brook who accepted the fight.

 

Brook is moving up by two full division, thirteen pounds, to meet Golovkin at the full middleweight limit of 160-pounds. Golovkin has no idea why Brook made the decision to go up by two divisions and risk his undefeated record, but he respects the courage of Brook in taking what many view as a very dangerous fight for the boxer from Sheffield.

"I can not say anything bad about Brook. He is a great fighter. He has a good record and fights pretty well. I know there are many boxers who refused to fight me, so I'm a little surprised [that Brook accepted] and I'm really proud of this fight," Golovkin said.

"I do not know why Brook decided to climb up by two divisions, from 147 pounds to 160 pounds, but I'll be ready because he has earned my respect for trying to take all my belts."