By Radio Rahim
Promoter Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions regards Kell Brook (36-0, 25KOs) as the best fighter in the welterweight division.
Brook, who captured the IBF welterweight crown in 2014 with a decision win over Shawn Porter, is moving up by thirteen pounds to challenge Loeffler's star fighter, IBF/IBO/WBC/WBA middleweight champion Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin (35-0, 32KOs).
The fight is scheduled to take place on September 10th at the O2 Arena in London.
A similar fight took place back in May, when Amir Khan moved up by eight pounds, to catch-weight of 155, to challenge Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez for the WBC middleweight belt. Khan started well and won the early rounds with his speed, but he was brutally knocked out in the sixth round once Canelo connected with his first flush shot.
Canelo-Khan generated a lot of criticism from fans and media alike. They viewed the contest as a physical mismatch. Golovkin vs. Brook is also getting some heat, because many believe Brook will be overwhelmed by the difference in size, power and weight.
Loeffler says his company is not really feeling the sting of the critics, because several other potential opponents have turned Golovkin down for the September date. The target opponent was British middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr., but the fight fell apart after several weeks of negotiations. Eubank was unable to reach an agreement with his own promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport. After Eubank was out, Hearn offered Brook.
"There has not been much criticism, because it's well documented that we've tried to get other fights for Gennady," Loeffler told BoxingScene.com.
"You have the best welterweight at 36-0, fighting the best middleweight at 35-0. To make up for the size difference, Gennady is going to Brook's hometown to the UK. We've always wanted to take him to the UK, and we couldn't do the fight with [Carl] Froch, we couldn't do the fight with [Billy Joe] Saunders, we couldn't do the fight with Eubank - and that's why we give Brook so much credit."
