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The biggest moments of Kell Brook's career ahead of Amir Khan fight

Kell Brook Amir Khan

Planet Sport looks at some of the standout fights from the career of Kell Brook after it was confirmed that he will face arch-rival Amir Khan next year.

Better late than never.
Kell Brook and Amir Khan will finally meet on February 19 in Manchester, more than five years after the pair looked destined to fight.

Since then the beef between the Brits has intensified and the rivalry is as intense as ever, even if the duo look past their best.

It looks to be a pick 'em fight, but Khan insists the British blockbuster is "a step down for me". The bookies do not agree though and have Brook as the odds on favourite.

Here Planet Sport takes a look at the Sheffield boxer's career highlights.

2014 win vs Shawn Porter

Brook's 2014 points win over USA star Shawn Porter in California was his career highlight to date.

Brook called out Khan after his stunning victory, taking the IBF welterweight crown from the previously unbeaten Porter.

It was a victory that showed all of Brook's grit and determination to get a majority decision ( 114-114, 117-111, 116-112).
Porter as expected was the aggressor early on in Carson and he set a frantic early pace. His come forward style and work-rate turned the early exchanges into a brawl. Both fighters sustained cuts after head clashes, but Brook never looked in any danger.
As the fight wore on Brook's jab came to the fore and he wobbled the champion in round seven with a smart uppercut.
That seemed to flood the Brit with confidence and he landed the cleaner power shots in the latter stages to get the vote on the cards.
Despite the brilliant victory the big fights which looked around the corner did not arrive and instead Brook ended up with three fights in England including a TKO win over fellow Brit Frankie Gavin.

Golovkin defeat

Brook decided to step up to middleweight and took on Gennadiy Golovkin in September 2016.

Golovkin won via a fifth-round TKO with Brook's corner man Dominic Ingle throwing in the towel at the end of the round.

Brook's courageous decision to step up two weight divisions did not pay off despite landing some heavy shots in the opening two rounds.

In an electric atmosphere, Brook showed he could hurt the champion. He landed some clean shots, including another power-packed uppercut that rocked the Kazakh. But he found himself trapped on the ropes more frequently and the heavy shots and pressure that was being applied finally took its toll with Ingle deciding enough was enough.

It was a first defeat for Brook, but the decision to pull out the Sheffield fighter looked a smart one after it was revealed he suffered a broken eye socket in the second round and had blurred vision.

Errol Spence Jr defeat

Brook, now 31, returned to welterweight and fought at his beloved Bramall Lane in May 2017.

But despite the drop down in weight and the home fans behind him he found American Errol Spence Jr too hot to handle.

Brook dropped to his knees in the 11th with a serious eye injury forcing referee Howard Foster to call a halt to proceedings.
It was the opposite eye to which Golovkin had damaged, but in truth Brook was getting beaten up. And he was behind on all three judges' scorecards at the conclusion.

He had threatened the younger man though and in the sixth Brook turned on the style, but Spence stood firm and rallied back with some punishing body shots. Brook's eye injury would be the defining factor in Spence returning to America with the IBF gold.

Explosive return at 154

Kell Brook made an explosive return to boxing as he knocked out American Mark DeLuca in the seventh round of their super welterweight bout in Sheffield.
In his first fight since defeating Michael Zefara by unanimous decision in an uninspiring performance in December 2018, Brook insisted only a "spectacular" victory would do on his return and he more than proved that he remains in world title contention.
DeLuca was a heavy underdog coming into the contest at Sheffield Arena but had suffered just one defeat in his 25 fights, which came via split decision against Walter Wright in June 2018.
However, the former IBF welterweight world champion showed no signs of ring rust in his first fight in 14 months as he took control of the contest.
Brook worked his way into the fight with a counter punch in each of the opening two rounds to gain the early advantage before the hometown favourite burst into life in the third.
A three-punch combination got the Sheffield Arena crowd on their feet before a crushing left hook caught DeLuca flush on the nose, which immediately started bleeding.
Brook's quality shone through, after DeLuca was pushed through the ropes, in the seventh when 33-year-old landed a heavy straight left to send his opponent crashing to the ground which ended proceedings.

Brook recalls Crawford punch

"Never in my career, nobody has ever done that to me, not even in sparring,'' Brook said after Terence Crawford landed on him in their bout in his last fight in November 2020.

Of course three-division world champion Crawford has since rubber-stamped that form with a career-defining win over Porter earlier this month.

Crawford is regarded as one of the best Pound for Pound fighters in the world and he sensationally stopped Porter in the 10th to retain his WBO welterweight crown for the fifth time.
But it was a right hand in the fourth against Brook which left the Brit asking his corner afterwards: "What happened there."

Crawford landed a devastating, short jab that was timed to perfection and that sent Brook spinning into the ropes. It was a shot that he never recovered from and Crawford, who is one of the best finishers around, quickly moved in to end the contest.

Grudge match

Next up for Brook, now 35, is a "grudge match" with Khan.

"It's personal. It's not made up. We dislike each other," said Brook earlier this week.
"I've still got the power, still got the timing, the experience."
Khan, 34, believes he's a cut above his domestic rival and says "the fight is going down a couple of levels".
"But I had to give this to the British fans.
"So I've had to step down to give him a beating and show the British public who the best is."

Read more: Anthony Joshua stands at a crossroads in his career but which direction will he go?

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