Kell Brook, the 39-year-old retired British boxer, will step in for his late compatriot Ricky Hatton on February 13.
The BBC reported that Brook will fight Eisa Al Dah, the opponent whom Hatton was supposed to face this December in “The Hitman’s” first professional prizefight in more than 13 years. Hatton passed away at age 46 in September.
The card, set for Dubai Media City in the United Arab Emirates, has been rebranded into a remembrance night for Hatton and is intended to support his foundation.
“This hits me hard because I felt a real connection and understanding of Ricky, I could relate deeply with his struggles with addiction and depression,” Brook posted on Instagram after Hatton’s death, citing him as an inspiration.
Brook, 40-3 (28 KOs), shied from no challenge during his career. His three losses came to Gennadiy Golovkin – Brook rose from 147lbs to challenge the feared middleweight champ in his home division – Errol Spence and Terence Crawford. Brook stayed close with Spence on the scorecards, his left eye swelling all the way, before being stopped in Round 11. Crawford finished Brook in Round 4 in a sequence beginning with what Stephen “Breadman” Edwards called one of the best punches ever thrown.
Brook’s career included wins over Shawn Porter, Ricky’s brother Matthew Hatton, and Amir Khan, who he fought in his last bout to date. That long-anticipated clash came in 2022, when both fighters were well past their best, but Khan more so. Brook stopped him in the sixth round and Khan has not fought since.
Al Dah is 46 years old and has not fought since July 2021, when the 6-6-1 Pedro Alejandro Delgado knocked him out in the first round of a scheduled four. Al Dah was born and lives in Dubai and has a professional record of 8-3 (4 KOs).
