Kell Brook was keen to praise Amir Khan’s toughness after he won their grudge match. But the former IBF welterweight champion revealed that he had imagined a different finish the many times he had gone over the fight in his head over the years.
Brook stopped Khan in the sixth round, but try as he might, he could not knock Khan down as he bravely battled until referee Victor Loughlin stepped in.
“I would have liked a bit more clinical knockout, like Canelo,” Brook said. “But the referee was there to save him, it was going to get bad.
“I have gone over it in my mind. He was tough, he has taken some good shots. He has been fantastic for the sport, because he is always involved in fights where he can get hurt and he can hurt fighters. He has been a two-time world champion for a reason. I’m just happy that it’s done now.
“The respect is obviously there for anyone who gets in that ring. He took some big shots.
“I have heard he is a nice kid because it is a small world, boxing. He said we could have a coffee one time. We have shared a ring together now and I think we’re all right now.”
The win meant so much to Brook and his trainer, Dominic Ingle. Brook said the pair had both had to put up for years with getting stick from people in the street asking why he had not boxed Khan.
“We both wanted it so much, because he gets it too in Meadowhall [shopping centre] or wherever we are going,” Brook said. “I felt bad I had not managed to get it done. Getting that win, it’s all worth it and you can see it on my face. I’ll be remembered for this.
“I felt I had the edge straight away when I got into the ring. He knew I was in great condition, he knew from the Gloves Are Off that I wanted this fight bad. He knew I was coming hard no matter what.
“As soon as I got out there the timing was there. Timing beats speed, He has very fast hands, but I knew straight after the first two punches the fight was mine.”
Ron Lewis is a senior writer for BoxingScene. He was Boxing Correspondent for The Times, where he worked from 2001-2019 - covering four Olympic Games and numerous world title fights across the globe. He has written about boxing for a wide variety of publications worldwide since the 1980s.