Is Khan v Brook already the fight of 2022?
Is Khan v Brook already the fight of 2022?
By Andy Baber
After more than a decade of trash talk, bitterness and failed negotiations, long-term rivals Amir Khan and Kell Brook will finally settle their differences in the ring in 2022.
The fight British boxing has demanded for years between the two former world champions is scheduled to take place at long last at the AO Arena in Manchester on 19 February.
Much like the protracted wait for Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao before them, it has taken until both fighters are past their best for Khan and Brook to sign on the dotted line.
But while there is no doubt it is not the fight it could have once been, the deep-rooted resentment and animosity between the pair means it will still make for pulsating viewing.
And even if some fans feel it’s a case of ‘better late than never’, the underlying drama and the contrasting styles could pave the way for a fight that lives up to the hype.
Where the rivalry was born
This fight has been a long time coming, with the rivalry dating way back to 2010.
That year saw Brook call out Khan - then the WBA super-lightweight champion - for the first time, although the pair first crossed paths as teenagers battling for a spot on the Olympic team.
In fact, Khan has often taken great pleasure in recalling how he “schooled” Brook in their Olympic training camp, including the famous Sky Sports’ Ringside interview from October 2012.
Khan even brought up the tale at the fight announcement, rubbing salt in the wound by insisting he only needed one hand as he was told by the trainers to take it easy on Brook.
It’s an anecdote that goes some way to explaining why Brook feels such an intense dislike of Khan, who has often belittled and dismissed his British rival over the years.
Instead of fighting Brook, Khan relocated to the USA where he suffered back-to-back defeats against Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia while chasing a fight with Mayweather Jr.
Those setbacks failed to dent Khan’s pulling power across the pond and he responded with impressive wins against Luis Collazo and Devon Alexander as he continued to evade Brook.
Meanwhile, Brook became IBF welterweight champion with a superb performance to defeat American Shawn Porter on points in 2014 before defeating Jo Jo Dan the following year.
The fight fails to materialise
Brook called out Khan once again in 2015 but while the Olympic silver medallist entertained the idea, he claimed he had bigger fish to fry as he eyed Mayweather or Pacquiao.
“I’d love to go in the ring and fight Kell because it could be his last fight against me, because the thing is I would give him so much of a beating that it could end up being his last fight,” he said.
“But it’s all about timing. If I’ve got a different route and I want to face the likes of the Mayweathers or Pacquiaos out there, then Kell Brook will have to wait.”
The insinuation from Khan, as he brushed aside the prospect of the fight once again, was that Brook was not on his level, an attitude that has only infuriated his rival further.
Khan went on to step up two weight divisions to fight Mexican Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in a brave but foolish move that ended up with him knocked out on the canvas in the sixth round.
Rather than hanging around for Khan, Brook instead took on Gennadiy Golovkin in his own big payday and suffered a broken right eye socket in a middleweight defeat.
He then broke his left eye socket and lost his IBF welterweight title eight months later when he was stopped by Errol Spence Jr before losing to Terence Crawford in November 2020.
Brook’s defeat to Crawford followed Khan’s own TKO defeat to the American, with the Bolton fighter’s last bout a farcical fourth-round stoppage of Australian Billy Dib in July 2019.
Can Khan vs Brook live up to the hype?
When Brook came out in 2018 to blame Khan for the fight between the two not taking place - stating his rival “had let the public down” - it seemed the bout was dead.
But after a tumultuous five-month negotiation that overcame arguments over how the fight would be billed, transport, hotel rooms and the weight, the deal has finally been done.
Understandably, the announcement was greeted with a mixture of frustration and excitement by the British boxing public. This was the fight they wanted to see in around 2016.
They will both be 35 and neither would have fought for more than a year by the time they step in the ring next year - inactivity that points towards this being one last big payday.
Yet even if the prime of their careers has been and gone, this is a ‘grudge match’ that deserves such a status considering that Khan and Brook struggle to even be in the same room together.
Brook feels he has a point to prove after being the main driving force behind this fight taking place, repeatedly claiming Khan has ducked him to focus on fame and celebrity.
Khan, on the other hand, has always maintained he is a level above the Sheffield fighter and that Brook was not deserving of this fight until now when he believes the timing is right.
For all both fighters have achieved in the sport and the bad blood that exists between them, this match-up promises to be a must watch and if Khan and Brook can bring their A-games then we could be treated to a fight that will have made the wait worth it.
Image Credit: Getty Images