Ricky Hatton says he thinks the long-awaited Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook clash on February 19th is a “50/50” match-up, but he feels that Amir might be “too quick” for the 35-year-old ‘Special One.’
Khan vs. Brook are headlining on Sky Box Office at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Both guys are in their mid-30s and viewed as past it by boxing fans.
Nevertheless, Khan still possesses blazing-fast hand speed and will be a handful for Brook, who was taken out in four rounds in his last fight against WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford in November 2020.
Crawford caught Brook with a quick right hook that stunned him in the fourth round, and he then poured it on with a small flurry of shots to get a stoppage. If Brook couldn’t handle Crawford’s speed, Khan might be too much for him.
The former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Khan (34-5, 21 KOs) will have been out of the ring for close to 2 1/2 years when he faces former IBF 147-lb champion Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) in a catchweight fight at 149 lbs.
We don’t know yet how the weight will impact Brook because he’s a natural 154-pounder, and he looked drained in the Crawford fight in coming down to 147.
Hatton: Amir might be too fast for Brook
“I think it’s a good fight. A lot of people say they would have liked to have seen in a few years ago when they were both in their prime, but maybe they have seen better years, but I think it’ll be a good fight,” said Ricky Hatton to BBTV Boxing on the Khan vs. Brook fight.
“Amir might have a little bit too much speed for Kell, but if Kell hits him [he could knock him out].
“One thing they say about when you get older, you never lose the punch, do you? But your resistance can waver as you get a little bit older with miles on the clock and stuff like that.
“But Kell can hit, and if he lands against Amir, there’s a good chance that he can win. But watching the little bits of clips of them both training, it’s a shame that they’re both my mates, so I’m not making a prediction.
“I think Amir might have a little bit too much zip and might be a little bit too quick for him. It’ll be a good fight. It won’t be like a match where one guy is a little bit past it, and the other is in their prime,” Hatton said of Khan and Brook.
The boxing world would have liked to have seen Khan and Brook meet a decade ago when they were both in their primes and relevant still in the sport.
Unfortunately, we have to take what we can get, and it’s still an exciting match-up on paper. As long as we don’t see Khan getting taken out with a low blow in the sixth round, as we saw in his loss to Crawford in April 2019, it should be an exciting match-up.
Khan – Brook = 50/50 fight
“They’re both a little bit past it. So even though both have seen better days, it may be a better fight than it was a few years ago,” said Hatton.
“As they get a little bit older, they’re a little bit slower, and they might have it out a little bit more. It’s definitely worth a watch. I’ll certainly be watching it, and I’ll be going.
“I think it does, to be honest with you,” Hatton said when asked if having the fight at a catchweight of 149 lbs evens things out a bit.
“In looking at the little bits of clips on the Internet, Amir looks a little bit fresher to me, and that might just give him the advantages slightly.
“Amir looks like he can breeze the weight a little bit better than Kell. I think it really is a 50-50 fight, it really is,” said Hatton on the Khan vs. Brook fight.” But I think Amir might be a little bit too quick for him,” said Hatton.
