After having no fights in 2019, former IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (38-2, 26 KOs) will be aiming to shake off the ring rust and fire his name back into the mix for a world title shot in 2020 when he meets Mark DeLuca (24-1, 13 KOs) on February 8 at the FlyDSA Arena in Sheffield, England, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.
“I feel great, I feel good. We’re four weeks out, I’m on weight, my training is going great. I’m ready to fight, I’d be ready to fight next week,” said Brook, 33, during a workout at the 12×3 Gym in London. “It feels good to be preparing for a fight again. I’m fighting back in Sheffield, we know what we get from the fans – amazing support. It’s always an amazing atmosphere in the arena.
“DeLuca is in front of me, an ex-marine, a very fit fighter, very strong, he’s going to come over here like it’s his World Title fight. The fans are in for a real treat and I can’t wait to give them that treat. I can’t wait to perform and for the crowd to get behind me and push me on.
“Dom has watched DeLuca live a few times and I’ve seen little bits of him. I don’t really watch tapes of my opponents but I’ll watch a bit more of him in the next couple of weeks and then basically just listen to Dom and the game plan. It’s just about getting in there and executing it.
“At the beginning of last year, it was frustrating because I was trying to get the Terence Crawford fight to happen. I was trying to make a few fights happen but they never materialized. 2019 was frustrating at first but then I was just enjoying my time with my little girls, went traveling about a little bit but then I started getting a bit bored and thought boxing is where I belong and I need to give some more of myself to the fans. I’ve got unfinished business and I want to give all I’ve got.
“I want whoever holds a belt, I want to be a two-time world champion this year. I want to be on everybody’s lips, ‘I can’t believe what this guy’s done. I can’t believe it. What’s happened? He’s the main man again’. That’s what I’m aiming for.”
I’ll be very surprised if KB returns to the top level. His focus has been more off than on in recent years and he has (by all accounts) been putting on too much weight when inactive which he has been a lot.
I agree. What Kell Brook wants and what he gets are two different animals. Ya gotta earn it!
I would like to see Kell fighting at least two times against modest to a bit stiff opposition, to have an idea what he might have left in the tank. If he shows still being capable at a high level, I would love to see him testing Vergil Ortiz Jr.
I don’t see Brook getting passed Ortiz Jr. at this point.
Kell says yes, but his eye sockets says no. Very good at giving it but Too brittle to take it. Too pretty for this sport
He wants whoever holds a belt and is willing to fight anyone no one has heard of to get there!
what Brook needs to do is just fight and fight and fight. Even if he fights a few cans, 3 months per fight maximum. If the big fight comes in his 2nd, 3rd or 4th fight back it doesn’t matter. He is a very skilled guy who made some bad career choices. Shouldn’t have fought GGG and should have realised early on Amir Khan was a waste of space. Loss to Spence was legit but no shame in that. Of all the Spence fights I have seen, I think Kell pushed him the farthest. I hope he has a good 2 to 3 year run and challenges for a belt at light middle.
Stay retired… PLEASE…
Yes Crawford is number one right now. I think that Brooks is well rested. He should get a couple of fight with highly ranked fighters like Garcia or Ugas, before going for Crawford.
Brooke v Charlo. No brainer you knuckle heads.