By Ryan Songalia

Hailing from the steel manufacturing city of Sheffield, England, Kell Brook faced the inevitable comparisons to Prince Naseem Hamed from the moment he first laced his gloves up.

The British media have unfailingly brought up Hamed in nearly every interview with the 22-year-old Brook. They have ordained his as "The New Naz", for what that's worth.

Brook grew up a fan of Hamed, even sparring the former featherweight champion on several occasions when he was 13 years old. Even though he had only begun his amateur career the year before, Brook says he held his own.

"I was a bit star struck by just how fast he was," Brook, 19-0 (12 KO), tells BoxingScene.com. "I was younger though. He cracked me good sometimes just to show me who was the man."

Away from the ring, Brook says he wasn't very pleasant to be around.

"But that's how he is. Really didn't think at the time; I just thought 'That's Naz, he's the King."

There is a sense of Hamed influence in Brook's style; The switching between stances, the dependence on timing and reflex, even the Hamed front flip into the ring that became a staple of The Prince's show.

Brook's dream is to fight in Madison Square Garden, where over a decade ago Hamed made his American debut in a thrilling four-round shootout with Kevin Kelley. In the opposite corner is his idol, Floyd Mayweather Jr. In his dreams, at least.

Despite his adoration, the pressure of being compared to the flashy icon is uncomfortable at times.

"Of course it is but I just get on with it," Brook says. "I'm my own man."

Brook, who is promoted by Frank Warren, will face his domestic acid test against Young Mutley, a confident, battle-tested veteran from West Bromwich, England. The fight is scheduled for May 22 at London's York Hall.

Mutley's biggest claim to fame was his 2006 upset of then-unbeaten Michael Jennings. Jennings would go on to fight for a vacant title against Miguel Cotto, unsuccessfully. While many view this as a step-up for Brook, Mutley views Brook as the stepping stone to greater things.

"I'm in good shape and it's the right fight to get me back up there," said Mutley, 26-3 (13 KO). "This fight is a have to win fight for me to move to bigger things. It's a great fight for the fans. We're both big punchers, so it's going to be fireworks.

"I'm confident I can beat him."

Mutley concedes that the flashy upstart has good movement and speed but feels that the difference in caliber of opposition will ultimately give him the edge.

"He's a good fighter no question, but he's not been tested proper yet. I've seen a few weaknesses in him."

Writer attempts to pry further into the subject of Brook's vulnerabilities.

"I'll keep that to myself."

For Brook's part, he looks at this as an opportunity to cement his reputation as a rising force. "This fight will show why I'm the champion of Britain."

Initially, Brook was in discussions to face a 12-2 local named Mark Lloyd. Brook never invested too much stock in the talks and who can blame him?

Brook is no stranger to opponents falling out. Twice he was scheduled to face then-British welterweight champ Kevin McIntyre, only to have McIntyre pull out with injuries. McIntyre was stripped and Brook instead faced Barrie Jones for the vacant belt. What ensued was Brook's toughest fight to date as a pro.

"He could take big shots and still come back," Brook says of the hard-fought seventh round TKO win. "I learned you can't take every one out with one shot."

Brook says of earning the belt, "It was f--king unreal, the best feeling, mate."

The Welshman Jones, who is petitioning promoter Frank Warren for a rematch, offers mixed praise. "He was very fast and awkward to hit, but I don't think he has much power, though."

Still, the issue of who reigned supreme in the British welterweight landscape remained unsettled. Many felt that since McIntyre had not lost the title in the ring, he was still the rightful champion. The only way to resolve the situation was by facing off with the Scotland native.

Two minutes and three shocking knockdowns later, Brook stood atop the corner closest to his fallen opponent, celebrating and dancing in a manner that evoked memorizes of a young Hamed.

Brook has since made another defense of the title, knocking out Stuart Elwell in two rounds.

Brook's father first introduced him to the sweet science at age nine. Young Kell would get all worked up watching Bruce Lee films and bounce off the walls. His father, a property developer by trade, felt boxing would be a great outlet for Kell's hyper-activity.

Brook had his first amateur fight at age 12 under the tutelage of Hamed's trainer Brendan Ingle. By the end of his tenure he had won 31 of his 36 fights, winning two Amateur Boxing Association of England titles and two National Association of Boys Clubs British Boxing Championships.

Brook left Ingle's camp after his seventh pro fight and began training under David Coldwell, who currently trains one of Brook's mentors, Ryan Rhodes.

"When he came to me, the first thing I worked on was his balance and jab," says Coldwell. "He really had neither. He would lunge, jump into shots ala Prince Naseem and would paw with his jab.

"As you saw in his British title-winning effort against Jones, his balance was great, his jab was booming. He has great timing, too."

That would be the last time Coldwell would appear in Brook's corner. Coldwell says his affiliation with Hayemaker Promotions was a conflict with someone involved in Brook's career, though he wouldn't mention who. Brook re-entered the Ingle fold, this time under Brendan's son Dominic.

Coldwell maintains his friendship with Brook, offering much praise to his former understudy.

"Wow, if he stays on the ball and focuses on his weaknesses rather than just ignore them, he can go all the way.

"He's a lovely kid, too. He's quite shy until you know him, then he is a great laugh. We were like a big family, me, Kell, Rhodes, Curtis Woodhouse and the others. We all think highly of Kell as a person."

While Coldwell feels Brook has great potential, he says that the right matchmaking and continued motivation will ultimately decide his fate.

"Kell is very young, you have to keep him interested. But you can't rush him as he is still relatively inexperienced. You can't have him in knock over jobs for too long, then stick him in with a [Miguel] Cotto or [Shane] Mosley. The jump in class is way too big."

Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Any questions or comments? Send them to songaliaboxing@aol.com .