By Terence Dooley
Sheffield’s Kell Brook will have to wait a little bit longer for his chance to settle domestic 147lb supremacy against Chorley’s Michael Jennings, a former British champion and world title challenger. Brook has picked up a rib injury during preparations for the proposed July 3rd Preston Guildhall date and will be replaced by John O’Donnell, who meets Jennings over 12 rounds for the British title vacated by Brook, 21-0 (14).
“I’ve had to pull out because I injured my ribs in sparring. They’re really sore and Dom (Ingle – his trainer) has said I probably won’t be able to spar for the next couple of weeks, which is no good because if I fight Jennings I need to be able to spar,” confirmed Brook when speaking to Chris Warne of Boxrec News.
He continued: “I was really looking forward to the fight with Jennings. I think it’s the fourth time the fight has fallen through now and it’s really disappointing. I want to fight Jennings and I’ve been saying that after my last couple of fights. But it’s all up in the air now with the injury.”
Jennings, 36-2 (17), was defeated by Miguel Cotto over five rounds in February of last year, he would have been a good litmus test for Brook’s world title credentials. The 32-year-old recently voiced his frustration over his lack of activity, a fight with O’Donnell, who has only tasted defeated once in 24 contests, will keep Jennings busy. The winner will be firmly in the frame for a crack at Brook’s WBO Inter-continental title or the full WBO belt should Brook, rated #1 by the WBO, pick up the vacant title.
O’Donnell has racked up eight wins, and the Commonwealth title, since losing in two rounds to Christian Solano back in 2007; John was fighting in Vegas for the first time and, perhaps, his over-eagerness cost him his ‘0’. A fight against, and a possible win over, Jennings would go a long way to proving that the 24-year-old Galway-born, London-based boxer is the real deal.
Jennings, though, is still a force on the domestic scene, he feels that too many people are writing him off and is adamant that he is still the classiest operator on British shores, a claim that will be put to the test come the 3rd of July.
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