Sometimes amidst the helter-skelter of Premier League football and the pure thrill of witnessing Formula 1 cars whizz across the screen, the sweet science and razzamatazz of boxing can be overlooked. Watching new kid on the block and IBF welterweight world champion Kell Brook in action last week reminded me that the art of pugilism can be just as compelling.
A star is born
While Brook has seemingly come out of nowhere, you can be assured that there’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears involved in his rise through the ranks. The man from Yorkshire’s Steel City had to go to the States to win his world title against American Shawn Porter, which tells you something of the Brook’s quality and determination. He was then involved in a bizarre incident in Tenerife, where he was the victim of a near-fatal stabbing in an unprovoked attack. Several months later, Brook returned to the ring to make his first defence of his title in his hometown of Sheffield.
Sheffield v Bolton
It to Brook four rounds to dispose of mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan with brilliant efficiency but the best bit of the fight was when the gloves came off, literally. Brook ‘called out’ former Olympic Champion and Bolton’s finest Amir Khan in the ring interview immediately after the fight with the line, “I’ve heard you’re delicate around the whiskers”. Twitter went crazy as Khan and Brook fans argued the toss of who would win any future fight. There is nothing quite like a British boxing rivalry to get the juices flowing.
They call him AJ
Which brings me nicely round to another rising star of the British fight game. London 2012’s Olympic Super Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua is back in the ring on Saturday night looking to enhance his unblemished record against American Jason Gavern.
The big Londoner has the size, concussive power and technical skills to make it to the very top but nothing is straightforward in boxing. There will be twist, turns and forks along the path as Joshua’s journey unfolds but it’s boxing’s unpredictability which make it so interesting. Similar to Kell Brook, Joshua’s career is being overseen by promoter Eddie Hearn, who seems to have learnt a few tricks from his dad Barry by the looks of it.
Renaissance
Taking a look at the bigger picture, it seems we are about to witness a renaissance in British boxing. Expect the likes of Joshua, Brook, Khan, James Degale, Chris Eubank Jnr, Andy Lee and Billy Joe Saunders to all make their marks on the world of boxing in the coming months. I would suggest that you take a ringside seat sooner rather than later.
Seconds out…
