By Edward Chaykovsky
Later tonight at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (35-0, 24KOs) will make a mandatory defense of his world title against challenger Kevin Bizier of Canada.
If Brook wins, he wants a major fight in the summer. Brook is willing to face any of the top names at welterweight or junior middleweight.
The unbeaten champion even told his promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport, to explore the possibility of a catch-weight bout with IBO/WBA/IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.
Hearn would love to match Brook in a unification with WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia or have Brook move up to 154-pounds for a fight with Miguel Cotto.
HBO approached Hearn about the possibility of having Brook face Cotto on June 18th. Hearn believes Cotto, and his trainer Freddie Roach, will view Brook as a very high risk/low reward type of fight and pass him over for someone else. The outspoken promoter also doubts Garcia will agree to a showdown with Brook - even if the Sheffield man travels over to America.
"I just don't think Danny Garcia will fight Kell Brook. Everyone in boxing knows how good Kell Brook is. Talk to people in boxing, they will tell you how good Kell Brook is...fighters, trainers, promoters," Hearn told BoxingScene.com's Declan Taylor.
"HBO came to us and said 'will you fight Miguel Cotto on June the 18th?' We said 'in a hearth beat.' I said 'okay, we'll speak to Roc Nation, Miguel Cotto and Freddie Roach.' Miguel Cotto and Freddie Roach will look at Kell Brook and say 'no thanks.' If Kell Brook was a global superstar and there was a lot of money, I think they'd do it. But they will take a look and say 'I think we can have an easier fight, thank you very much.' We don't really want to move to 154, but we will if we can't get the fights at 147."
