The fight that everyone wants to see, Amir Khan v Kell Brook, seems to be getting further away from coming to fruition. Reportedly, Khan is pricing himself out of a showdown with the Sheffield fighter after a meeting with promoter Eddie Hearn on Monday to discuss a summer clash.
Apparently Hearn, IBF welterweight champion Brook’s representative, have offered Khan around £10-million to fight his man on June 4th, at Wembley Stadium, although Khan appears to be holding out for more than what is said to be a 60/40 split – believing he is the bigger attraction of the pair.
“He is trying to price himself out of the fight because he doesn’t want the fight,” Hearn told skysports.
“When we had that meeting on Monday, I was left gobsmacked by their demands. It is effectively bigger than an 80-20 split. We are talking about a voluntary defence of a world title by a world champion Kell Brook to Amir Khan,
“I appreciate Khan is probably a bigger name than Kell Brook, but Kell Brook is world champion and he needs some kind of parity, but more importantly he needs respect,” Hearn added. “That’s why we are talking about a 60-40 split, it’s a great deal for Amir Khan.”
It wouldn’t be the first time Khan has gone chasing the £££’s instead of actually getting in the ring and fighting. It is becoming quite apparent that when he is faced with a dangerous opponent, he stalls on contract negotiations.
He has already wasted precious time, holding out for a super-fight with Floyd Mayweather and then Manny Pacquiao, but both fights fell through.
Khan is a terrific fighter but he is in danger of stagnating. His management team have been pursuing a rematch with Danny Garcia but the American fighter does not seem to be interested.
However, he could wait to fight the winner of Danny Garcia v Robert Guerrero for the WBC title which would make Khan the mandatory challenger and if Garcia wins, he would have no other option but to fight Khan again or be stripped of the title.
The Brooke-Khan fight is the one British fans crave, but Khan may now decide to wait for Brook and instead seek the WBC route. With an end of year fight between the pair a possibility.
Whoever you decide to fight next Amir, get on with it, let your loyal fans know and do what you do best, box!
In the meantime… Brook fights in March
Kell Brook will defend his IBF World Welterweight title against mandatory challenger Kevin Bizier at the Sheffield Arena on March 26, live on Sky Sports.
Brook makes the third defence of the crown and his second in his hometown fortress in the Steel City following wins against Jo Jo Dan and Frankie Gavin at The O2 in London. ‘The Special One’ meets his mandatory challenger for the second time since landing the title with a stunning win over Shaun Porter in California in August 2014, and returns to action having shaken off the rib injury that forced him out of a defence against Diego Chaves in October. Read more
