Kell Brook-Kevin Bizier Deal Reached, Purse Bid Called Off

 By Jake Donovan

In a race against the clock, the teams representing Kell Brook and Kevin Bizier were able to agree to terms for their forthcoming welterweight title fight. 

International Boxing Federation (IBF) spokesperson Jeanette Salazar informed BoxingScene.com that a purse bid hearing scheduled for Tuesday was canceled. The exact terms of the agreed upon deal were not disclosed, other than Eddie Hearn (Brook's promoter) and Yvon Michel (Bizier's promoter) satisfying the requirements set forth by the New Jersey-based sanctioning body.

Brook (35-0, 24KOs) will make the third defense of the title he claimed in a 12-round win over Shawn Porter in Aug. '14. The first of the lot also served as his previously mandatory defense, knocking out Jo Jo Dan in front of a partisan crowd in Sheffield, England, the likely location for this upcoming bout.

His win over Dan was also a triumphant return to the ring, having been forced to sit out the balance of 2014 after suffering wounds from a machete attack while on holiday in Tenerife. Just two fights came of his 2015 campaign, having been out of the ring since a 6th round knockout of Frankie Gavin last May. 

The unbeaten Brit was due to face Diego Chaves in an optional defense last October, but was forced to withdraw due to a rib injury. The bout was never rescheduled, as he was by that point ordered by the IBF to face the winner of an ordered title eliminator or else concede the title.

Brook obliged, entering negotiations with Bizier (25-2, 17KOs) who resurrected his career with a shockingly one-sided 10th round injury stoppage of previously unbeaten Fredrick Lawson last November in Miami, Florida. The scrappy boxer from Canada had previously suffered decision losses to Dan in each of the past two years, but bounced back to post his biggest win to date. 

With that came an extended period of negotiations between Hearn and Michel, who were confident of reaching a deal at some point. The two sides worked together for a recent super middleweight title fight, in which England's James DeGale traveled to Quebec City, where he turned away a stiff challenge from former champ Lucian Bute last November, 

This time, it will be Michel's side to hit the road for a fight involving the two outfits. Television rights have yet to be revealed, though Sky Sports will be involved in some capacity. On the U.S. side, there is the possibility of the fight being picked up by either Showtime as part of its Saturday matinee international coverage (Showtime Boxing International) or else on a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) platform, as Bizier is advised by the series' creator, Al Haymon. 

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox