Amir Khan has come out in support of his domestic rival Kell Brook - who will move up two weight divisions to face WBC, WBA, IBO and IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin on September 10 at London's O2 Arena.
The unbeaten Sheffield fighter had been expected to put his IBF welterweight title on the line against WBO titlist Jessie Vargas in a unification bout later this year.
However, in an unexpected twist, Brook will instead take on Golovkin, widely regarded as the best fighter at 160lbs and who has earned a reputation as a knockout specialist, having stopped 32 of his 35 opponents.
Brook (36-0, with 25 KO wins) retains his status as IBF welterweight champion, a title he has defended against three underwhelming opponents since beating Shawn Porter by a close decision in California two years ago.
He has been craving a showdown against a big-name opponent although he and his handlers appeared content to continue campaigning at 147lbs.
Brook follows in the footsteps of Khan, who himself jumped up from welterweight to middleweight earlier this year to take on then WBC champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. That fight, which Khan lost by a brutal sixth-round knockout, was fought at a catchweight of 155lbs. The fight with Golovkin takes place at at the full division limit of 160.
Golovkin (35-0, with 32 KO wins) has stopped his last 22 opponents, including Brook's compatriots Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray on his rise to the top of the middleweight rankings.
Khan tweeted: "Great work Eddie, preferred to have seen Chris Eubank Jr. fight Golovkin with his style but fair play. Behind you 100% Kell Brook. Glad you took a leaf out of my book, tough ask but anything can happen, just don't pull out. British fighters running the sport of boxing right now, so many fighters willing to fight the best and taking chances."
