British boxer Kell Brook settled the 17-year long rivalry by stopping Amir Khan in the sixth round in front of a raucous Manchester crowd Saturday night.
Kell Brook has settled the score with Amir Khan after stopping the former world champion in the sixth round of their catchweight contest in Manchester.
Almost two decades after a fight with Khan was first suggested, Brook and the Athens 2004 silver medallist went head-to-head in front of a sellout 21,000 capacity crowd at the AO Arena.
From the opening bell, Brook was the hungrier man. Rocking Khan in the first with several combinations after weathering his opponent's fast start.
It was clear what the two strategies were, Khan opting for speed while Brook looked to land the one shot to send his opponent to the canvas.
Khan may have started each of the six rounds with a flurry of punches. But they often missed or lacked very little power to trouble Brook. Meanwhile, Brook was finding plenty of success with his right hand, which more often than not rocked Khan.
As the fight wore on, Brook showed no mercy and continued to unload on Khan, who was showing signs of exhaustion. Then come the sixth, Brook continued to batter Khan until the referee waved off the contest.
Both men may have been past their best, but they certainly left it all in the ring in this long-awaited grudge match.
Despite all the bad blood between the two, Kell Brook and Amir Khan embraced at the end of what has been an entertaining contest.
The former champions have known each other since their teenage days, even before Khan announced himself to the world as Team GB’s youngest ever boxing medalist at the 2004 Olympics. The Bolton-born fighter and rival Brook, representing Sheffield, both went on to win world titles, with Khan also competing in major fights in the United States. Despite the now-35-year-olds’ strong dislike for one another and a long-standing demand from fans for the fighters to settle their differences between the ropes, a bout has eluded the competitors and their followers until now.