LAS VEGAS – Kell Brook took notice of what has been said and written about his chances of defeating Terence Crawford.
The confident former IBF welterweight champion cannot wait to silence all those loud doubters Saturday night. Crawford is a heavy favorite entering their 12-round welterweight title fight, but Brook thinks cynics hastily have overlooked his skills, size, strength and experience, as if he were some unproven opponent.
“I’m taking this very seriously,” Brook told BoxingScene.com. “I’m in with the best fighter in every weight division, pound-for-pound. But I’m also that guy, and I’m gonna prove a lot of people wrong in this fight. I read things, and they’re saying me age and the weight and something’s missing there with me. But I know what’s in my heart is something different. So, I’m gonna shock the world.”
The 34-year-old Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) hasn’t beaten an elite welterweight since he won the IBF 147-pound crown from Shawn Porter in August 2014. In his two biggest fights since he topped Porter by majority decision, Gennadiy Golovkin and Errol Spence Jr. stopped Brook in back-to-back bouts in September 2016 and May 2017.
The Sheffield, England, native is 3-0 since Spence knocked him out. Those three wins came against Siarhei Rabchanka, Michael Zerafa and Mark Deluca, opponents far inferior to the 33-year-old Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs), a three-division champion who is typically perceived as one of the top two fighters, pound-for-pound, in boxing.
“You can see that specialness in his arsenal,” Brook said, “just the way he can switch-hit, the way his balance is, the way he can come with unorthodox angles with shots. You know, you can see that he’s a great fighter. You can see it, but I am, also. And I’m the bigger guy and I believe I’ve got the bigger punching power.”
Brook looked chiseled at Friday’s weigh-in, which marked the first time he weighed in at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds since Spence won the IBF welterweight title from him almost 3½ years ago. Without any rehydration restrictions, Brook could add enough weight to be a full-fledged super middleweight by the time their bout begins (ESPN; 10 p.m. EST).
“I really do believe that he has not boxed anyone my size,” Brook said. “No disrespect, but a lot of hype is built up in America. He’s gotta show me that he’s the best man in the world. I won’t believe it until he shows me. He’s not been in there with anyone like me – the size of me, the determination I’ve got. I’ve got everything that he’s got.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
