By Keith Idec
Eddie Hearn hopes Kell Brook and Amir Khan fight in December.
Their promoter realizes they have other options, but he believes Brook and Khan would be making huge mistakes by not coming together for what would be a heavily hyped, lucrative showdown in the United Kingdom.
Hearn will express exactly that to them once the British rivals have completed upcoming fights they’re expected to win.
“After [their next fights], we’ll be looking to get that fight signed,” Hearn told Sky Sports for a story posted to the network’s website Friday.
“It’s the biggest fight out there, but both have options. Brook has the Charlos and Jarrett Hurd. Tough fights at 154 pounds. He can drop back to welter for Khan, who also has options – Manny Pacquiao, Danny Garcia, Errol Spence Jr.
“But they will kick themselves forever unless they get it over the line. Fingers crossed – December, if they can both keep winning, we’ll get there for Khan versus Brook.”
Making the Brook bout was what Hearn ultimately had in mind when Khan signed a three-fight contract with Matchroom Boxing in January.
Bolton’s Khan (32-4, 20 KOs) ended a near two-year layoff in the first fight of that deal by knocking out Toronto’s Phil Lo Greco (28-4, 15 KOs) in 39 seconds April 21 at Echo Arena in Liverpool. His next fight, September 8 against Colombia’s Samuel Vargas (29-3-2, 14 KOs) in Birmingham, England, was officially announced at a press conference Thursday.
Khan continues to stress that he won’t box Brook above the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. In his only fight at or near 154 pounds, Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez knocked Khan unconscious in the sixth round two years ago in Las Vegas. The Alvarez-Khan clash technically was a middleweight championship match, but the contracted weight limit was 155 pounds, not the middleweight maximum of 160.
Brook, a former IBF welterweight champ, moved up from 147 pounds to the junior middleweight limit of 154 earlier this year. He has indicated he cannot make 147 pounds anymore.
Sheffield’s Brook (37-2, 26 KOs) is scheduled to return to the ring July 28 on the Joseph Parker-Dillian Whyte undercard at O2 Arena in London. He is scheduled to face Canada’s Brandon Cook (20-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round fight.
In his 154-pound debut, Brook beat Belarus’ Sergey Rabchenko (29-3, 22 KOs) by second-round knockout March 3 in Sheffield, England, Brook’s hometown.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.