Kell Brook vs Matthew Hatton close to being made for March 17

Kell Brook

Kell Brook looks set to meet Manchester’s Matthew Hatton at his Sheffield Arena homecoming show on March 17. 

Paul Malignaggi had originally been tipped to be Brook’s opponent but it seems now that fight won’t happen.

But Hatton’s advisors are now speaking to promoters Matchroom and the show which will be a Yorkshire vs Lancashire main event and likely to be named ‘The Battle of the Roses’ looks a done deal.

Brook will feel he is over due his world title fight and should be having it next. But with a live local rival on the scene with promised world title hopes of his own, Brook will feel he should take care of business at home before looking abroad.

Hatton as the chance to shock boxing and de-rail Brooks rise to stardom. It is a fight that Brook will be the favourite to win and will be expected too. This makes Hatton a dangerous foe. It should be a good fight for both at this stage of their careers.

2011 review of Brook and Hatton… more fighter reviews here.

Kell Brook, 25, proved what we have known for a while in 2011. That he has the talent to make a name for himself in world boxing. The unbeaten former British champion is now on the verge of a world-title shot, and will surely find himself competing in the mix in 2012.

In June he beat Lovemore N’dou and then went onto demolish former world title challenger Rafal Jackiewicz in round six, for the WBA Inter-Continental welterweight title. The Sheffield stylist, unbeaten in 26 fights, rounded off a positive 2011 with a punch perfect performance in America against Luis Galarza showing the wider boxing audience what ‘Special K’ is all about, with a 5th round TKO win

Matthew Hatton

In 2011 Matthew Hatton, 30, proved he was not just his brothers wannabe, when he pushed Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez all the way to the final bell in a fight for the vacant WBC light-middleweight title in March.

Fighting out of his skin and his famous siblings shadow, Matthew proved that there is more than just one world class talent in the Hatton family. – Going into the fight, Hatton wasn’t given much of a chance of lasting a couple of rounds by some expert analysts.

He was stepping up in weight for the very unexpected and some said unwarranted title shot. But the European welterweight champion went for broke in California, more than held his own with ‘Canelo’ and gave the Mexican probably his toughest fight to date.

Matthew Hatton’s record: 42 fights, 5 losses, 16 wins by KO, with 2 draws.

Hatton now hopes to get another shot at a world title in his natural welterweight division, but Kell Brook is the object in his way with big plans of his own….. read more Best of British Boxing in 2011.  

A press conference will be held on January 9th to announce Brooks opponent for The Sheffield Arena on March 17th and Hatton, unless something goes dramatically wrong, will be there.

By Chris Maylett