By Keith Idec
It’s not the high-profile fight Kell Brook sought, but he has an opponent for December 8.
Promoter Eddie Hearn announced Monday that Brook will square off against Australia’s Michael Zerafa that night at Sheffield Arena in Brook’s hometown of Sheffield, England. Brook, 32, will fight for the first time since knocking out Belarus’ Sergey Rabchenko (29-4, 22 KOs) in the second round March 3 at Sheffield Arena.
Brook (37-2, 26 KOs) hopes defeating Zerafa (25-2, 14 KOs) leads to his much-discussed domestic showdown with British rival Amir Khan (33-4, 20 KOs).
“I’m delighted to be back at Sheffield Arena,” Brook said in a press release, “in front of my people. ‘The Special One’ is back and all of my focus and attention is on getting myself ready to put on a spectacular performance for my loyal fans. I want to close the year in special fashion and set up some blockbuster fights in 2019. I was ringside for Amir Khan’s last fight, so let’s see if he’ll be there on December 8, or will he be too shook for Brook?”
Hearn has tried to finalize a deal for a Khan-Brook bout at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. A rehydration clause, which would limit how much weight Brook could add after their weigh-in, reportedly has held up negotiations thus far.
Bolton’s Khan (33-4, 20 KOs) has won two fights since ending nearly a two-year layoff April 21 in Liverpool, England. Colombia’s Samuel Vargas (29-4-2, 14 KOs) dropped Khan late in the second round of his last bout, though, and gave the former 140-pound champion a tougher fight than anticipated on his way to losing a 12-round unanimous decision September 8 in Manchester.
Zerafa, meanwhile, will take an eight-fight winning streak into the Brook bout. He hasn’t lost since former WBO middleweight champ Peter Quillin knocked him out in the fifth round of their September 2015 middleweight match in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
The 26-year-old Zerafa’s last three fights have been contested at the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds. His fight against Brook, a former IBF welterweight champ, will be a WBA 154-pound elimination match.
“I thrive from being the underdog and I believe that Kell Brook’s team [has] made the mistake of overlooking me,” Zerafa said. “I’m a completely different fighter to the man that lost to Peter Quillin, and on December 8 I will prove that.
“I’ve already dreamt of beating Kell and replayed the fight over and over in my head. I was born for greatness and December 8 is the beginning of my rise to the top of the sport.”
Brook was supposed to box Brandon Cook on July 28 at O2 Arena in London. Their fight was canceled once Brook suffered an ankle injury while training.
“This is the biggest opportunity of Zerafa’s career, and he will be coming over here to take my scalp,” Brook said. “But there’s levels in this game, and I need to put him away to get the big fights that I desire.
“Meticulous work, dedication, preparation and focus has gone into this camp and I will continue to grind until fight week. I can’t wait to see you all at Sheffield Arena on December 8, where I will shine bright under all the lights.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
