Grudge Match Supremacy
Tonight’s ESPN+/Ultimate Boxxer Grudge match Main Event between Amir Khan (34-6, 21 Kos) and Kell Brook (40-3, 28 Kos) finally came to a conclusion at the Manchester Arena in Manchester Lancashire, England.
This was a highly anticipated grudge match that was well overdue but definitely worth the wait. Amir talked a good game from day one and always felt he was the superior boxer to Brook considering both their careers to date but Kell stayed adamant that once they both graced that squared circle opposite each other that he would be the one to prevail with the victory.
Fast forward to tonight’s showdown and Kell stayed true to his prediction by stopping Amir Khan in the six round. Straight from the jump Kell kept his composure and asserted himself quite well in applying controlled aggression in the first round and visibly wobbling Khan with a mean left hand straight to the chin of Khan that had him hurt and on shaky legs until the end of the round.
As fast has Amir was with his hands, he didn’t look like he could handle Kell’s accurate and strong punches coming his way. Amir seemed shook at how strong Kell was inside that squared circle. Amir kept moving but looked like he was on shaky legs whenever Kell connected with anything flush.
As the rounds progressed it was clear to me that Khan had clearly thrown the original “game plan” out the window. Khan looked like an injured animal trying to survive with no clear path on how to adjust to Kell’s pressure.
That being said, Kell could see that Khan was breaking down and looking for a way out. The inevitable was bound to happen. In the sixth round Brook went in for the kill and applied a series of unanswered punches to the body and head of Amir Khan that prompted the referee to stop the bout at the time of 0:51 seconds of the round.
Although both combatants are clearly at the end of their respective careers, Brook showed himself and the rest of the sceptics out there that he still has the goods needed to take out Amir Khan and for that I tip my “B” hat to Kell for walking it like he talked it. Job well done Kell.
Congratulations Kell – you won this bout in a convincing fashion.
Blaze