By Edward Chaykovsky
IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook could very well drop back to 147-pounds to make a mandatory defense of his title against Errol Spence, according to Brook's promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport.
Last month, Brook moved up by thirteen pounds and two weight divisions to challenge middleweight king Genandy 'GGG' Golovkin at the O2 Arena in London. Brook did well until he was stopped in the fifth round, after suffering a fractured orbital bone.
The IBF is going to order Brook (36-1, 25KOs) to begin negotiations with Spence (21-0, 18KOs) on October 26, but Hearn could request a medical extension while Brook continues to heal from surgery for the orbital fracture.
According to Hearn, Brook is still capable of squeezing down to the welterweight limit, but there are concerns over whether or not Brook will be able to physically performance to his best level if he's cutting weight for the entire training camp.
But the fight with Spence is a lucrative opportunity for them, especially with Brook getting a 75-25 split based on the IBF's rules - if they head to a purse bid.
There are a lot of options for Brook, from 147 to 160 - including Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, Miguel Cotto and Amir Khan.
Hearn has four names in the running for Brook's next fight and he's confident that one of them will be Spence, Cotto, Canelo or Khan.
"At the moment we are keeping all our options open," Hearn told Sky Sports. "Kell can make 147 but I don't think he can necessarily reach the same performance levels. The Spence fight is a big fight for us, especially at 75/25 so it's definitely something to take seriously."
"The GGG fight has given Kell a number of high profile options but I think realistically his next opponent comes from Spence, Canelo, Cotto or Khan.