By Edward Chaykovsky

IBF welterweight Kell Brook (36-1, 25KOs) is willing to drop down in weight, to 147-pounds, for a fight with his domestic rival Amir Khan (31-3, 19KOs).

Both fighters have been out of the ring since making risky decisions to move up in weight to face much bigger opponents. Khan moved up to a catch-weight of 155-pounds to challenge then WBC middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. Canelo knocked him out cold in six rounds. Brook moved up to 160-pounds to challenge WBC/IBF/WBA/IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, who stopped the British fighter in five rounds.

Khan had recently undergone two surgeries for a hand injury and wants to return to the ring by April of next year. Brook had surgery for a fractured orbital bone that was suffered in the loss to Golovkin and wants to return in the first half of 2017.

In recent interviews, Khan had mentioned that he was very interested in finally facing off with Brook, who's been pursuing this contest for several years.

Brook still had a mandatory obligation against IBF number one ranked Errol Spence Jr. The IBF granted Brook a 60 day medical suspension in order to provide him with additional time to recover from his injury, but sooner or later he will have to make a decision on Spence.

Brook hopes Khan is serious and not talking up the fight just to talk.

"I'm still taking it easier, enjoying time with my family, but I really believe for the right fight I will get back down to welterweight again," Brook told Sky Sports. "That is where the big fights are at the moment - and it has to be one that excites me because other than that, it takes too much out of me.

"If Amir Khan finally stepped up and if the fight is nailed and all signed, that's when you'll see me back at 147. I've heard all that rubbish before [about fighting Khan], but at the end of the day, you all know I want that fight with Khan - for everyone and to shut him up more than anything."

"[Khan] talks about all these fights like that Eubank kid and the way he talked about Golovkin. [Golovkin] asked me if I really wanted to fight him and I said yes and I was going to step up and do it. Too many people just talk about these fights but a few of them step onto the plate - and I was one of them. It's come 'round full circle now. My status is higher than [Khan] when it comes to boxing so, if he wants it, he's going to have to step up to the plate."