By Keith Idec
Amir Khan expects to see Kell Brook in the ring Saturday night after he defeats Samuel Vargas.
Khan doesn’t sound as if he anticipates encountering Brook in the ring again for his next fight. The former IBF/WBA junior welterweight champion doesn’t think Brook can comfortably make 154 pounds at this point, let alone the welterweight limit at which Khan contends their much-discussed domestic showdown must take place.
“I want to be in the big fights and Brook is definitely someone we’ll also look at,” Khan told Sky Sports for a story posted to the network’s website. “He had a fight coming up, but he pulled out. The rumors were that he pulled of that because he couldn’t even make 154 pounds. So him making 147 pounds is just a line he is using to get the fans back again, or win over the fans.”
Sheffield’s Brook (37-2, 26 KOs) was supposed to face Canada’s Brandon Cook (20-1, 13 KOs) on July 28 at O2 Arena in London. He withdrew from that fight, reportedly due to an ankle injury, and doesn’t have another bout scheduled.
Bolton’s Khan (32-4, 20 KOs) and Colombia’s Vargas (29-3-2, 14 KOs) will headline a card Saturday night at Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, England (Sky Sports; DAZN’s Facebook and Twitter pages).
After facing Vargas, Khan will have one fight remaining on the three-bout contract he signed with Matchroom Boxing at the beginning of this year. Promoter Eddie Hearn, Matchroom’s managing director, badly wants to make a Khan-Brook bout, but Khan is adamant about not boxing Brook above 147 pounds.
“I do feel sorry for him at times,” Khan said, “but at the end of the day I have to look after myself and my own career.”
The 31-year-old Khan could finally meet Manny Pacquiao in his next fight, which would be an even bigger event in the United Kingdom than Khan-Brook. Khan acknowledges that battling Brook is an attractive alternative, though.
“If the fight happens between us, I know it will be big,” Khan said. “I just hope he stays strong, because the way he seems to me, he couldn’t get a fight out of him.”
The 32-year-old Brook challenged Khan in the ring following his 39-second destruction of Canada’s Phil Lo Greco (28-4, 15 KOs) on April 21 at Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.
“It was disrespectful and I think he looked like an idiot, to be honest with you, just standing there,” Khan said. “Why did he come in the ring and say, ‘I want to fight you. I want to fight you?’ That’s all he said. To be honest, I’ve never really let him get to me or say anything or react to anything he says about me, because when you react that’s when you don’t box.
“I’m just relaxed and chilled out, while he probably feels like he’s just talking to a brick wall because it never gets to me and he never upsets me. But there is no reason to be so disrespectful.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
