Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on DAZN.com.
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Kell Brook is no stranger to facing extremely difficult opponents, and that will certainly be the case when he attempts to dethrone welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford on Nov. 14.
Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) became a 147-pound beltholder in a close contest against Shawn Porter in 2014, before suffering the only two defeats on his record against elite fighters Gennadiy Golovkin and Errol Spence Jr.
Many believe defeat number three is inevitable against Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but ‘Special K’ is used to being overlooked.
“That’s the kind of thing I love because the haters are motivators and it’s what people perceive,” Brook told Boxing Scene. “But the people who’ve been around me know how I’ve been, they know how determined I am and how motivated I am for this fight. I’ve left no stone unturned.
“Crawford is very good. That’s why he’s arguably Top 3 pound-for-pound. So he’s obviously good, isn’t he?” Some people have him at No. 1. But look what [Teofimo] Lopez, who’s 23, did to [Vasilliy] Lomachenko at the weekend. This is boxing we’re involved in.”
Brook went on to explain that his particular pugilistic upbringing is perfect to handle Crawford’s elite switch-hitting.
“From the old man, Brendan Ingle, the school of boxing, that style has been there from the Naz (Naseem Hamed) days, [which] is switch-hitting, and I’ve seen every style there is to see. So I’m not going to be bamboozled by him.
“I’m happy. At the end of the day, he’s not boxed anyone the size of me. This is a real fight, it’s a real, top, elite welterweight he’s fighting. … A lot of people are talking about age but he’s only a year younger than me.
“I’m naturally the bigger guy. I’m healthy and a big thing is there’s no [next-day] weight limit. With the IBF, I had to make weight, then I had to make weight the next day. But what I’ll be is what I’ll be the next day, so the pressure’s on him.
“I take my hat off to Terence Crawford taking this fight against me. He knows it’s a dangerous fight. He knows. When I went and saw him, he knew I wasn’t a walkover.”
Brook hasn’t made 147 since his last defeat, which came in 2017 to Spence. Will that prove an additional obstacle for the Brit?
He doesn’t believe so.
“That is a good question, but the fact is I’m at a nice weight, I’ve been in training camp for four months,” Brook said. “I knew this fight was coming, and I’ve learned over the years not to balloon up. Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be difficult to make it, but this will be the best I’ve made it, even better than before.
“He (Crawford) said, ‘You just make weight.’ I’ve never gone to the scales and not made weight. I’ve always made weight the first time. I’ve never been to a weigh-in and used that hour to make weight. I’ve always made it.”
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