Skip to main content

Kell Brook spurned Tim Bradley fight, wants Ricky Hatton


Picture by Lawrence Lustig

Kell Brook has revealed he was close to taking a fight with WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley but chose to take the mandatory route with the IBF.

 Brook takes on Hector Saldivia for the mandatory position for the IBF welterweight title in Betfair’s ‘This Is It’ at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield on October 20 live on Sky Sports, a route the Sheffield star and his promoter Eddie Hearn decided was the right move for the 25 year old’s career.


Brook came through a gut check against Carson Jones in his last outing at the Motorpoint Arena in July, and he believes the mandatory route could lead to a mega fight in 2013 against the returning Ricky Hatton.

 “The Bradley fight was put in front of me but I believe the mandatory position in the IBF is the right move,” said Brook, who is back in Sheffield after a two week training camp in Spain.

 “Eddie has worked hard to get me into this position and providing I beat Saldivia, I’ll be fighting for a World title at the start of 2013 and it will be on my terms.

 “I would love that to be in Sheffield too and I know Eddie would do his best to get it here as it would be an amazing event. I will also be watching Ricky Hatton’s comeback with great interest as a fight against him next year would be an absolute blockbuster for British boxing.

 “When I fought his brother Matthew you could see that the Hatton name still means a lot in boxing and we would fill a big stadium fighting for a World title.”

 Hearn added: “Top Rank contacted me in August and made us an offer for the Bradley fight. It was a nice ego boost for Kell to be offered a fight of such magnitude but we begun this journey with a goal of becoming a mandatory challenger and now we are just one win away.”

 Brook’s clash with Saldivia tops a great Sheffield bill with Jamie McDonnell facing Vusi Malinga in an IBF bantamweight World title final eliminator and Kenny Anderson taking on Robin Reid for the vacant British super middleweight title.

 Tickets for Betfair’s ‘This Is It’ are on sale now priced at £30, £40, £60 and £100 from the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield box office on 0114 256 5656 and at www.motorpointarenasheffield.co.uk.

 VIP packages priced £150 are exclusively available from Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900 and atwww.matchroomboxing.com.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

WBN Remembers: "Gypsy Boy" Ernie Smith

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor  (picure by boxrec.com)  After almost a year and a half without one of boxing’s great journeymen, World Boxing News is looking back at the 161-fight career of Worcestershire warrior Ernie Smith, concentrating on his contribution in the ring, rather than the tragic way his life ended out of it. Smith turned professional at super-featherweight in 1998 at the Park Hall Hotel in Wolverhampton, losing a six rounder against Welshman Woody Greenaway.  One month later, Ernie was thrown in with an unknown prospect by the name of Gavin Rees (former world champion and current British Lightweight Champion) who he also took the distance over four rounds. The “Gypsy Boy” then managed to string together a four fight unbeaten run together in early 1999 and ended the year winning five out of his twelve contests, but by this time had already delved into the journeyman pool of boxers with a record of 5-8-1. After settling at the welterweight limit, Ernie ga...
Read more

Ashley Theophane talks US return, Ricky Burns sparring and future fights

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor ‘Treasure’ training for August 24 return Former British light-welterweight champion Ashley Theophane is aiming to put the disappointment of his loss to Darren Hamilton behind him when he makes his comeback in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 24. The 31 year-old, who has fought some of the top fighters between 140 and 154lbs, planned to take 18 months out of chasing his world title dream to win a British Lonsdale belt outright and just fell short with points defeat to Hamilton in May after making two defences. The Londoner is now returning to the US to re-establish his headline status on American soil. He fights for the 38th time in his career against an opponent yet to be named at NC Music Factory’s Reelworks Studios and is currently preparing to get back to winning ways. “Training has gone well for this fight. I've been in the gym for nearly nine weeks so I'm in great shape and ready to go,” Theophane told World Boxing News. ...
Read more

WBO #4 Orlando Cruz comes out as the first openly gay boxer in history

Orlando Cruz, a professional boxer from San Juan Puerto Rico (18-2-1, 9 KOs), former Olympian and currently ranked No. 4 Featherweight by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), is announcing today that he ”Is a proud gay man.” Cruz is the first openly gay man in boxing history.  “I’ve been fighting for more than 24 years and as I continue my ascendant career, I want to be true to myself,” said Cruz.  “I want to try to be the best role model I can be for kids who might look into boxing as a sport and a professional career.  I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican.  I have always been and always will be a proud gay man.” Orlando Cruz began boxing at the age of 7 and posted an amateur career record of 178-11.  He won 7 Puerto Rico National Title's and spent 4 years on The Puerto Rican National Team.  Cruz won 7 Gold Medals, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze in various international tournaments.  His amateur career culminated as a representative of the 2000 ...
Read more