Kell Brook could not help but laugh when he was asked about Amir Khan’s interest in a rematch.
“He must be crazy,” Brook told IFL TV, cracking up. “He must be crazy. Listen, he didn’t like it when we were half and half, even. It (the first fight) was one-sided, in my opinion. So, you know, if he wants to do that [again], come and see me.”
Brook had good reason to sound confident. Their 12-round welterweight bout (contracted at 149 pounds) in February, billed as a coin-flip affair between two of the bigger names in recent British boxing memory, was lopsided in favor of Brook (40-3, 28 KOs), who stopped Khan (34-6, 21 KOs) in the sixth round.
A rematch, from the public’s perspective, seemed pointless.
Yet Khan has reportedly been putting out feelers to various promoters, including Eddie Hearn and Ben Shalom, the head of Boxxer, which promoted Khan-Brook, about staging the rematch. Khan has a rematch clause that he can activate, but the financials would have to work for all parties.
Some have suggested that Khan is simply using the rematch clause as a carrot-dangling move to extract a fee “to go away” from Brook and Brook’s potential opponents. British fighters such as welterweight Conor Benn and middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. have expressed interest in facing Brook.
“I think so,” Khan said, when asked about this motive. “I thought so. But listen, it is what it is. Like I said, I’m a fighter.”
Shalom also chimed in in the same interview, pouring cold water over the idea of Khan-Brook 2. Shalom previously said that he would be willing to entertain the notion of a rematch only after Khan goes through a tune-up bout. If Khan impresses in that outing, then a Brook rematch would be up for consideration.
“He (Khan) has to prove that it isn’t about money and that he was injured and all these things,” Shalom said. “He’s got a lot to prove. So, if he wants to fight again, I don’t think it will be Kell Brook because let’s be honest, as fans, it doesn’t make sense right now. It’s up to Kell what he does.”
Shalom confirmed that he is speaking with Danny Garcia, the welterweight contender from Philadelphia. Another fight that has been mentioned for Brook is compatriot Eubank, although both fighters have openly disagreed about the weight at which they would fight.
Shalom also said he has not ruled out the possibility that Brook may just end up retiring.
“We put offers into Danny Garcia,” Shalom said. “We think that’s a great fight. There are one or two other options. But I can’t say what they are, I’ll be honest. But he’s got loads of options. He’s a king at 147, especially in the UK. There are so many guys at welterweight.
“I think Kell wants one last stance, maybe two. But it will have to be right for Kell. If he retires now, I don’t think anyone can blame him.”