Was it just me, or was Amir Khan struggling, at least a little bit, to hide the glee, the sense of satisfaction he had on Saturday night, when his long-time verbal tormentor/possible ring rival Kell Brook was badly beaten by Errol Spence Junior?
Khan, along with Tony Bellew (who also provided punditry duties for Sky Sports Box-Office) was critical of Brook’s decision to “quit” against the unbeaten, sizzling southpaw; the knee Brook opted to take in that 11th round, his eye in pain, his sight almost gone, being pretty much vilified by both fighters. Debate has raged since Saturday’s great fight: is Brook a quitter, or was he doing what anyone else with such a nasty, potentially life-changing injury would have done in the heat of battle (heat, we must remember, no armchair critic has ever come anywhere close to experiencing)?
But the boxing world moves fast, and even before Brook had had a date booked for injury repair, people asked, who next for Kell – Khan maybe? This all-British battle, one that has been simmering, never (yet) to be signed for years, remains a big fight and a possibility for next year. But is it still a great fight, a 50/50 fight? Should Brook even fight again, as financially sound as he is and as apparently (eye-socket) injury-prone as he is?
Khan has gone on record, after Brook’s punishing loss to Spence, saying he would like to fight his fellow Brit next. But whether this fight is looked at for this year or next year, is it still the glamorous, important, must-see fight it once was? Of course it would still prove attractive and shift thousands of tickets, but is Brook a fighter who has been beaten, and quite badly, too often? Okay, Brook has lost just two pro fights, but they have come on the bounce, via stoppage, and both have sent him to hospital.
Khan, for all the critics’ claims of him being weak chinned, might, surprisingly, be the fresher, less damaged fighter. Right now, taking everything into account, Khan looks like the favourite to win this fight, should it take place. But that’s the question – should it take place?
Has this fight gone beyond its sell-by date or is it the sole remaining “super-fight” for the two brave but battered Brits?
