Khan vs Brook LIVE: Latest updates and reaction to fight tonight
The British rivals finally clash in a grudge match that is more than a decade in the making
There has been a lot of talking and more than a decade of waiting, but finally Amir Khan and Kell Brook will settle their rivalry in the ring this evening as the British pair go head-to-head in a main-event bout at the AO Arena in Manchester.
The former champions have known each other since their teenage days, even before Khan announced himself to the world as Team GB’s youngest ever boxing medalist at the 2004 Olympics. The Bolton-born fighter and rival Brook, representing Sheffield, both went on to win world titles, with Khan also competing in major fights in the United States. Despite the now-35-year-olds’ strong dislike for one another and a long-standing demand from fans for the fighters to settle their differences between the ropes, a bout has eluded the competitors and their followers until now.
Tonight, Khan and Brook face off in a catchweight bout at 149lbs, with the opponents having traded harsh words this week at a fiery press conference and heated weigh-in. “I’m worried about a few things. I’m worried about Kell’s health after the beating I’m gonna be giving him,” Khan said on Thursday. Brook retorted: “He’s definitely gonna sleep Saturday night when I smash him in. He’s going on his face or his back, one of the two.” On the undercard, heavyweight Frazer Clarke makes his professional debut following his medal-winning venture for Team GB at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, and Natasha Jonas makes her third attempt at becoming a world champion.
Follow live updates and all the latest results from Khan vs Brook and the entire undercard, below.
Ricky Hatton on Khan vs Brook
Ricky Hatton on the fight: “I've changed my mind three times the way it goes. This city, they get behind their sports.”
Why Amir Khan vs Kell Brook can still be the fight fans wanted all along
Amir Khan and Kell Brook are approaching senior citizen status in the boxing world, yet the build-up to their long-awaited grudge match this weekend has been built on the rivals bickering like children.
That is not to say their interactions would have been dissimilar had the 35-year-olds clashed seven years ago, when a bout between the Britons would have brought a much greater degree of competition and anticipation – though no more animosity than appears to still exist between the old nemeses.
And that is perhaps most crucial, for the fans, ahead of Saturday’s main event in Manchester. Both fighters’ speed, power and movement have diminished over the years, their fragility only increasing, but followers of the sport have never demanded a figurative chess match between Khan and Brook; fans have begged for a brawl, they are craving a knockout.
Why Amir Khan vs Kell Brook can still be the fight fans wanted all along
The rivals’ skills have waned, but their animosity and fragility are essential ingredients in producing a fitting contest that is nearly a decade in the making
Amir Khan and Kell Brook separated at weigh-in ahead of rivals’ long-awaited fight
Amir Khan and Kell Brook both successfully made weight on Friday ahead of their highly-anticipated grudge match at the Manchester Arena this Saturday.
The British rivals will finally clash after years of waiting, meeting in a main-event catchweight contest with a 149lbs limit.
Brook had threatened to come in overweight and accept a fine worth “a few hundred grand”, but the Sheffield fighter hit the scales before his Bolton-born opponent and weighed in half-a-pound under the limit, as a hostile crowd of around 2,000 watched on in Manchester.
Khan soon followed and weighed in at 147.5lbs.
No title at stake, but Amir Khan knows importance of Kell Brook fight
Amir Khan has likened his eagerly-awaited bout against nemesis Kell Brook to a world-title fight after the pair came in under the contracted 149lbs limit at Friday’s weigh-in.
Only bragging rights are at stake for the two former world champions, both 35, and while the suspicion is they are both past their prime, tickets for Saturday’s event at Manchester’s AO Arena sold out in just 10 minutes.
The fans’ enthusiasm underlines the magnitude of a fight that has been years in the making, with Brook long coveting a meeting inside the ring against his British rival, only to be repeatedly turned down until recently.
No title at stake, but Amir Khan knows importance of Kell Brook fight
‘This is like a world-title fight for me,’ said the Bolton-born fighter on the eve of the Manchester clash
Amir Khan fears losing his legacy if he gets beaten by his nemesis Kell Brook
Amir Khan revealed the thought of his career being tainted by defeat to nemesis Kell Brook is what has motivated the Bolton fighter ahead of Saturday’s grudge bout.
From winning Olympic silver in 2004 to unifying the light-welterweight division and fighting on the grandest stages in New York and Las Vegas, Khan’s legacy as one of the finest British combatants of his era is already secure.
But he fears an asterisk being affixed to his legacy if Brook has his hand raised in their 10st 9lb catchweight contest at the AO Arena in Manchester, where only bragging rights are at stake for the two former world champions.
Amir Khan fears losing his legacy if he gets beaten by his nemesis Kell Brook
The fighters will take part in a catchweight grudge match at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday.
Amir Khan vs Kell Brook time: When are the ring walks for fight tonight?
Amir Khan and Kell Brook will finally settle their rivalry this weekend after years of trading insults, with the Britons set to headline a card at Manchester Arena.
The grudge match this Saturday will likely mark the last big bout for each man, with both fighters entering the contest at 35 years old.
Former light welterweight champion Khan (34-5, 21 knockouts) and ex-welterweight title holder Brook (39-3, 27 KOs) will meet in a catchweight bout, with the latter having said ahead of the fight: “The fans have been waiting too long, I’ve been waiting too long. I’m more than ready to show the world that I’m the best.
Khan vs Brook full undercard
Amir Khan vs Kell Brook (catchweight –149lbs)
Natasha Jonas vs Chris Namus (WBO world super welterweight title)
Charlie Schofield vs Germaine Brown (English super middleweight title)
Bradley Rea vs Craig McCarthy (middleweight)
Frazer Clarke vs Jake Darnell (heavyweight)
Viddal Riley vs Willbeforce Shihepo (cruiserweight)
Adam Azim vs Jordan Ellison (lightweight)
Hassan Azim vs MJ Hall (welterweight)
Abdul Khan vs Ricky Starkey (lightweight)
Ibrahim Nadim vs Taka Bembere (super featherweight)
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