Phil D. Jay
WBN Editor
WBN Editor
‘The Special One’ stakes title claim in Sheffield
Unbeaten welterweight Kell Brook produced a punch-perfect
display against Matthew Hatton at the Motorpoint Arena in front of a capacity
crowd to set himself up for a world title shot later this year.
The Yorkshireman made his ring walk to a rapturous welcome
and with a 9,000 strong clan of Yorkshire fans behind him, produced his best
performance to date against the brave Mancunian.
Brook easily took the first four rounds without breaking
sweat, bloodying Hatton’s nose and frustrating the former European champion
through the middle rounds to build an unassailable lead on the scorecards. The WBA Inter-Continental champion planted some hard shots on Hatton's chin that rocked his opponent on more than one occasion leading into the second half of the fight.
Hatton’s best moment in the fight was a sweet left hook that
seemed to make Brook have a second thought, but the 25 year-old came back
strong and never wavered from his obvious plan to keep the pressure on
throughout.
From the ninth round on, Brook could sense the crowd’s
anticipation and went for the stoppage. He caught Hatton with a shot early in
the round which seemed to knock him off balance and a second shot put him down
to the crowd’s delight.
Whether the blow caused a stumble or a knockdown is irrelevant
as Marcus McDonnell scored it, adding to Hatton’s already impossible job. Brook
then saw out the final three rounds without incident to claim a 119-107, 119-108, 118-109 victory and
set himself up for at least a world title eliminator.