IBF world champion Kell Brook wants to make a quick recovery and prove he is the best welterweight in the world.
The man from sheffield sat ringside in Sheffield last Saturday instead of defending his title against Diego Chaves, after suffering a setback in the build-up.
Brook was forced to pull out at the last minute due to a serious muscle injury which happend during a sparring session and has since been called a coward by American welterweight rival Brandon Rios.
“Bam Bam” Rios claimed the “Special One” is scared to fight Amir Khan and would lose to plenty of other big-name fighters at 147lbs, but even though he is “absolutely devastated” by the injury, Brook is staying positive.
Brook has been quoted as saying “I think I’ve seen what he [Rios] said and I am telling you now, I am the best welterweight on the planet,”
“There’s no welterweight out there who can beat me. He can say I am scared of any other fighter and he can say this or that. I am just sorry for all the fans in Sheffield who were going to turn out and see me on Saturday. I was going to do [to Chaves] what no one else has done.
“It’s just going to have to wait a little bit longer, but when I release what I am going to release on fight night, you’re going to know that no welterweight can touch me.
Brook is adamant that he wants to fight the Argentine Chaves as soon as possible, and in a further response to Rios, he said there is no update on the chances of a domestic clash with bitter rival Khan.
But the 29-year-old from the steel city of Sheffield admits the delay is adding to the frustration that has stopped him making “an extreme statement”
“I believe when I am at 100 per cent, there is no one who can touch me,” he said. “Manny Pacquiao, [Danny] Garcia, [Keith] Thurman, [Shawn] Porter, [Timothy] Bradley – all of them are in my sights now. All the elite-level fighters with the massive names and who are great fighters themselves.
“It’s just pushing it all back, which is frustrating. As for Rios, he obviously doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Brook’s injury took place during a sparring session with the hard-hitting Russian David Avanesyen, raising concerns about a possible broken rib.
He and trainer Dominic Ingle went straight to hospital for a scan but with no break, he has already had treatment on the damaged area.
Brook admits he is always “big at the weight” as he walks around well above the welterweight limit, but has made it clear that there were no other reasons for pushing back the showdown or avoiding a fight with Chaves.
“My weight is not a problem,” he said. “The fact is, every time I fight I make the weight. People say I am scared, or this is a weight problem, but I have been training for ever. My weight was bang on. I was on all the targets in the gym, so it is a genuine injury.
“Tendons are around there [the muscle] so it is very, very sore and to go into a fight with someone like Chaves, a tough customer renowned for going for the body, I am nowhere near 100 per cent so I could not put my future or my world title in jeopardy.
“I was looking forward to fighting in Sheffield again. I’ve seen posters on my way down to the gym, on billboards, in parks but everything has just come crashing down.
“I love this game but I hate it sometimes, but what can you do? There’s no point in crying over it.
“I will keep myself in good shape, look after myself and hopefully recover in quick time – and then get another date soon.”
