Kell Brook v Amir Khan" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/3416021/khan_vs_brook_large_medium.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
Kell Brook Vs Amir Khan – Breakdown.
By: Callum Meads
Hull, UK – Rivalries are too often manufactured, brought together through commercial gain and public naivety. A combination that has caused us to endure several British showdowns in recent years that have not met up to the hype and expectation. Thankfully, a true and genuine rivalry stands in front of us today. Two fighters who are not bound by tabloid headlines or You Tube altercations. Two fighters who have the skill, talent and ability to do as they please in the world of boxing. Since the emergence of Kell Brook, the possibility of this fight has been slowly building in the background, with Amir Khans natural transition to 147lbs providing the perfect meeting point. Here we have no clear underdog, no punchers chance, just two British fighters looking to reach the top of the sport.
The skills of these two fighters can not be denied, the natural and physical gifts that would be on show provide us with an interesting breakdown. Who has the faster hands, who hits harder, who has the most complete skill set? Although these factors are integral to the outcome of any fight. Styles make fights, and this stylistic breakdown will not just consider the blazing hand speed of both fighters, nor will it decide the outcome of this fight based on records and resumes. Here we have two differing styles, and we need to see which young fighter holds the others Kryptonite.
In order to truly asses the stylistic match up at hand, I think its important to go over the abilities of each fighter individually. Starting with Amir Khan we have one of, if not the fastest fighters in the sport, in terms of both speed of foot and hand. Coupled with the sheer speed, Amir has great combination punching skills. He can put together 5/6 punch combinations that are barely detectable to the average eye. However, the phrase ‘too much of a good thing’ is particularly relevant here. Because Amir has such incredible physical abilities, he tends to get carried away with them. Instead of moving in behind a measured jab, we have so often seen Amir rush in with 3-6 punch combinations. If he were to do this by patiently moving forward to find the opening, it wouldn’t be much of a problem, but by jumping straight in, Amir essentially telegraphs his entire offensive arsenal. You know that when he launches forward, he isn’t just throwing one punch, he’s throwing multiple punches. Which means there is multiple holes in his defense. Case in point, Khan V Garcia. In this fight Amir had success early on by coming forward and throwing combinations, but by the 2ndround it was clear that Garcia was starting to time his offensive movements. It was only a matter of time before Amir jumped straight on to that Philly left hook. Garcia knew that when Amir came at him, the right side of his chin would have been exposed, and exposed it was.
In a fight with Kell Brook, it would be imperative for him to slow his offense down. He doesn’t need to fight at such a high pace, with such a high volume of punches. Khan has the ability to use that piston like jab to poke holes in his opponents offense, once those holes are there and the range is established, he can then start filling those holes with power punches. Focusing on a fight with Kell Brook, the jab could be the key. Kell holds his hands low but does not adopt much upper body movement, the kind which usually comes hand in hand with a low guard. Instead Kell likes to use subtle foot movements to control the range of his fights. He likes to make his opponents miss by the tiniest of amounts, he does this by always staying on the edge of range. This then allows him to counter his off balance opponents with hard punches. Unfortunately for Brook, Khan is incredibly quick with both his hands and feet. If he fought with a patient jab I think he would be more than quick enough to catch Kell frequently. The double jab would be especially important in getting Kell as he pulls back. Kell has never fought anybody with speed like Amir, and I think that would prove to be an important point in this fight.
Moving on to Kell Brook, we have a fighter who throws crisp, accurate and powerful punches that are almost always impeccably timed. Brook also has exceptional hand speed and solid welterweight punching power. Khan may have the edge in raw speed, but Brook throws punches with more accuracy and conviction, and it’s these punches that Amir would need to avoid if he wants to survive 12 rounds with Kell. There are two ways to approach a fight with Amir Khan, you can try to be the bully like Lamont Peterson, or you can try to sit back on well-timed counter shots, alas Danny Garcia. In the case of Kell Brook, I think his timing and accuracy set him up very favorabley here. Khan has clear holes in his defense and I see know reason why Kell couldn’t hit those holes. He is clever enough, and more than skilled enough. Brook would need to fight a semi-aggressive fight with a good solid jab if he wants to keep Khan quiet. At one point in the fight, the opening will be there, and if he wants to win, he needs to take it. I could see Kell landing a hard counter right hand over Khan’s jab and that could be all it takes.
When we bring this altogether, it’s seems pretty clear what each fighter needs to do to win. Khan needs to keep his defense tight and he needs to attack Kell patiently. If he can do that, he will start landing more and more on Kell in the later rounds. Rushing in against Kell Brook, a strong welterweight, could see Khan knocked out early. Brook needs to keep his jab sharp and look for the openings. Khan should leave holes in his defense, and if Brook is as good as we all think, he should be able to hit Amir with both lead and counter power punches. Kell packs good power and at Welterweight I think he has more than enough to badly stun Amir. When this happens, it’s important Kell puts a lot of pressure on Khan and puts him away.
My prediction for this fight would be a middle to late round knock-out for Kell ‘Special K’ Brook. I simply believe Amir has too many holes in his defense, and Brook has too much speed, timing and power to not take advantage of those opportunities.
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