It was the night when all the hard battles finally caught up with Amir Khan and it couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Bolton fighter. Going all the way back to his amateur days, Khan was a fighter whose supporters watched through fingers on their eyes as his alarming weaknesses always appeared to give his opponents a fair chance if they could find his exposed target. Against Kell Brook, he never looked more vulnerable as he was stopped in six rounds.
From Craig Watson to Canelo Alvarez, Khan’s susceptibility to take a shot was a key factor in making him a box officiate attraction. Up and down thrillers with Willie Limond and Michael Gomez in the infancy of his career, combined with his Olympic prowess, ensured that fans had to pay a premium to watch him. His maiden PPV against Briedis Prescott, his first shocking defeat, was just a taste of the drama to come.
In the same Manchester venue where Prescott reduced Khan to a useless heap as his stunned followers silently watched on, Khan was once again demolished as Brook emphatically ended their lengthy rivalry, and perhaps Khan’s career. Like always though, like against Prescott, like against Canelo, like against Danny Garcia, Khan went down fighting and he let nobody down.
Ridiculed for his defence from when he wore an England vest all the way through to the final blows landed by Brook, Khan wore it like a badge of honour and made sure his opponents had to nail him to the canvas if they were to beat him. Freddie Roach, Virgil Hunter, Joe Goossen, and the late Oliver Harrison all tried to fix his defensive issues, but the challenging task was never really remedied, which led Khan to become even more offensive.
Across a 17-year career that took in multiple highs and lows, Khan was arguably the best British fighter of his generation. His world title win over the solid Andreas Kotelnik looked like a routine workout before Khan added to his profile in America with dominant victories over Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah.
While this was going on, Brook was searching for the spotlight enjoyed by Khan but would have to be satisfied with undercard spots supporting the likes James DeGale, Nathan Cleverly, and of course, Khan. A move to Matchroom in 2011 was intended to be the platform to elevate Brook to the level that Khan frequented, and after squeezing past Shawn Porter in 2014 to become IBF ruler, the Sheffield stylist was on collision course with his domestic rival.
Instead, the wait went on. Khan sought the riches offered by a middleweight showdown with Canelo and although knocked out in vicious style, the cheque for six rounds work will have softened the blow of the Mexican’s right hand. Brook, not one to be outdone, also moved up to 160lbs as he faced the menacing Gennadiy Golovkin. It was a straightforward fight for the Kazakh that also gave Brook his biggest payday but the battering he endured was to haunt him in future fights.
His world title won from Porter became the property of Errol Spence in 2017 after eye injuries sustained against ‘GGG’ returned at a congested Bramall Lane as Brook stayed on his knees in the fight’s penultimate round. Both Khan and Brook, elite fighters once upon a time, were now severely damaged and further layers were removed from them shortly afterwards as Terence Crawford inflicted one-sided beatings on both.
The ultra-talented Nebraskan was ringside on Saturday night as part of Khan’s team. A man with his knowledge and experience will have known that contest was effectively over at the end of the first round. Throughout the heated build-up, many expert opinions decided that Khan vs. Brook was all about who had the most left. It was obvious after three minutes of action that it was Brook who had more to give.
The weight, an item many said would be detrimental to the man from Dominic Ingle’s Winconbank gym, was no issue at all as Brook appeared strong walking Khan down. The majority of his punches were felt by Khan, and the unsteadying of his legs, something we’ve seen dozens of times through his illustrious career, was a clear indicator that this wasn’t a fight capable of going the distance.
With Khan on the ropes hellbent on surviving, Brook kept punching and that forced an early intervention from Victor Loughlin who was probably looking a few seconds ahead anticipating Khan taking a shot that was wholly unnecessary. Brook celebrated wildly as years of stating he’d beat Khan were finally proved right. Khan, fully aware of what a loss feels like, could manage a smile despite the result, relieved that he could walk away from the sport that has given him countless high moments.
An Olympic silver medallist, world champion, huge draw, possessing significant wealth, and a highlight reel that few fighters can boast, Khan can leave boxing with his head held high. Brook, now complete and validated following his win over Khan, and linked to another big payday against Conor Benn or Chris Eubank Jr, should do the same following a memorable performance that he won’t top.