By Edward Chaykovsky
IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17KOs) believes weight could play a major role in the September 10th showdown between IBO/IBF/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (35-0, 32KOs) and Kell Brook (36-0, 25KOs), who holds the IBF welterweight title.
The fight was officially announced last Friday, and takes place at the O2 Arena in London. Brook, who dabbled a few times in the 150s, will now move up by thirteen full pounds to challenge Golovkin for his belts.
Joshua is not sure is Brook will be able to overcome the difference in weight.
“The weight issue is quite interesting. Weight does play a big part in this sport and in anything below heavyweight it plays a massive part, so it’s very possible, but I hope Kell Brook does well. It would’ve been Golovkin-Eubank Jr and the same weight makes sense, but all credit to Kell Brook for taking that fight without hesitation," Joshua said.
Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis agrees with Joshua, and views the factor of weight as playing a major role in the contest. He feels Brook should NOT be moving up by two divisions to fight someone of the caliber of Golovkin.
"I don't think he should go up two weight classes," Lewis told Sky Sports News HQ. "Kell Brook is a great fighter and there's certain fighters in the world that are able to do it. He's the king of his weight class down there. Now he has to move up two weight classes to beat the king of his (Golovkin's) weight class.
"This is the kind of fight where when it's over you say 'should I have really done that?' He feels confident, he believes that he can do it so let's see what happens."
