By Edward Chaykovsky
IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook is hoping that his domestic rival, Amir Khan (31-3, 19KOs) is still in one piece following his May 7th challenge with WBC middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (46-1-1, 32KOs).
Brook was eager to face Khan this coming June. Their negotiations went south when Khan announced that he was facing Canelo at the newly built T-Mobile Arena.
Brook will now defend his world title this coming Saturday night against mandatory challenger Kevin Bizier of Canada in Sheffield.
Brook is supporting his rival to win the fight, but picks heavy favorite Canelo to come through. The fight with Canelo takes place at a catch-weight of 155-pounds.
He still hopes to get his hands on Khan in the not too distance future, so he can pound on him with big punches.
"I want Khan but I think his demands were a way of avoiding the fight. He sees it as too much of a risk, he's gone for Canelo. Even if he loses, he can say that big weight difference was the factor. So I understand why he took the fight because there's also a big pot of money," Brook told The Guardian.
"When it first got announced I thought there is no chance he can beat Canelo. But now I think he could do well. If he listens to his coach and follows the precedent of how to beat Canelo - given in the Floyd Mayweather fight - Khan could do well. I still think Canelo wins; he is a proud Mexican who will find a way and nail this Khan kid at some point."
"I don't want him hurt, we're both from Britain and fighting away from home, against these Americans and Mexicans, I want Khan to win. If he does - fantastic. I'm not praying he gets splattered but when it comes to me and him, in this country, I want to destroy him. He's got no respect for me and I've come up the hard way."
