Boxing Social caught up with former IBF world welterweight champion, Kell Brook (36-2, 25 KO) following the kick off press conference in Sheffield for his March 3rd showdown against former sparring partner Sergey Rabchenko (29-2, 22 KO).
The ‘Rise Again’ card will see ‘The Special One’ lock horns with Rabchenko at the FlyDSA Arena in just under six weeks time.
The under-card will also feature several match-ups which will be hard to call.
The likes of Dave Allen. Gamal Yafai, Kid Galahad, Gavin McDonnell and Atif Shafiq will be plying their trade on that bill.
6️⃣ WEEKS TO GO!!@SpecialKBrook is back 👌
Featuring on the undercard: @davidthewhiter1, @Gamal_yafai vs @bigtwinnygav, @KidGalahad90, @uniqueshafiq & more! #RiseAgainpic.twitter.com/7ECb1HFCGs
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) January 20, 2018
Kell will make his first step up from his natural weight class of 147 lbs since suffering that TKO loss to Gennady Golovkin in 2016.
Brook shared his belief that he will be more of a presence and will be stronger at the super welterweight limit.
“I think I’ll be very healthy at the new weight, I’ll have lots of energy in the ring and I won’t have to kill myself.”
“I won’t in the back of my mind be thinking, when I fight at welterweight I’m thinking reserve myself because I know it is going to catch up with me when the fight goes on.”
“But I think at the new weight, I can go out from round one to round twelve chucking shots for fun and still have the energy.”
“The new weight will suit me more because I don’t have to drain myself to make that small weight;” Brook added.
Brook also touched on his March 3rd opponent. Sergey Rabechenko is a former sparring partner of Brook’s and Brook has claimed some of those sessions were ‘life and death’.
Sizing up the problems he will encounter when he comes face to face with the Belarus native, Kell added “every problem under the book, he is a very clever fighter, uses the ring well.”
“Good to the head and the body and he is tough and durable, so it is going to be a handful,”
Looking fowards to bigger fights, Kell also touched on his prolonged rivalry with domestic nemesis in Amir Khan and kept it short and sweet as he stressed the expiry date for their match up is this year.
“If it doesn’t happen, it isn’t going to happen. It has to happen this year.”
Dr Mohammad Ali has given me the all clear to #RiseAgain !
We Back Babi !!! 🥊#Indestructible#TheSpecialOnepic.twitter.com/Ux1vioxVev
— Kell Brook (@SpecialKBrook) January 18, 2018
Kell Brook also cast his eye over the world title landscape in his new division and we pressed him for his opinions on the reigning world champions in the division such as Erislandy Lara, Jarrett Hurd and Sadam Ali. ‘Special K’ put them all on notice.
“Anyone who has got belts, I have been in with Golovkin, whoever has got world title belts, I don’t shy away from no one. Whoever the main man is at the time, lets fight!”
“I want to be 2-time world champion,” Brook concluded.
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