By Phil D. Jay
Former world light-welterweight champion Lovemore N’dou has predicted a master teaching a pupil on June 25th when he and Kell Brook meet at the Hillsbrough Centre in Sheffield. The 39 year-old has a chequered record over the last four years and hopes to get back to winning ways against the former British champion.
“The Black Panther” last fought in December, when out-pointed by the now 154lb world champion Saul Alvarez at a catchweight of 150lbs and has just three wins eight prior to that fight. He now meets WBO number two ranked welterweight Brook, 25, in his home city and has reacted to Brook’s prediction of a first knockout defeat for N’dou.
"I'm the master in the sport of boxing, many tried before and failed," Ndou told sowetan.co.za.
"They talk of Brook as the next big thing from the UK but to be quite honest, I don't know anything about him. I don't even know of any big-name fighter he has fought before.
"The real reason I'm fighting this boy is because he is rated No 2 by the WBO. Victory will pave the way to fighting for the title, which is held by Manny Pacquiao,” added the veteran.
Yorkshireman Brook is undefeated in his 23 contests so far since turning professional in 2004 and will be N’dou’s third fight in Britain after the Aussie-based South African fought Paulie Malignaggi in 2008 and Matthew Hatton in 2009, losing one and drawing the other.
The two fighters will contest the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title in what will be N’dou’s 63rd pro fight in an 18-year career that has seen him hold the IBO and IBF titles at the 147lb limit and take some of the best fighters in the division, including Kermit Cintron and Miguel Cotto the championship distance.
Kell Brook v Lovemore N’dou is live on Sky Sports on Saturday June 25th.
Phil D. Jay covers the boxing scene for worldboxingnews.net