Brook vs Spence is ON!!!
#1

[Image: article_updated_icon.png] Updated at 03:51 PM EST, Mon Feb 13, 2017 Read More By : Keith Idec [Image: pf-button.gif]

Brook-Spence to Fight May 20 in Sheffield; IBF Purse Bid Canceled

By Keith Idec
Kell Brook wasn’t bluffing.
Lindsey Tucker, the IBF’s championships chairman, confirmed to BoxingScene.com on Monday that a purse bid for the Brook-Errol Spence Jr. welterweight title fight has been canceled because the two sides have reached an agreement for a May 20 fight in Brook’s hometown of Sheffield, England. The purse bid, originally scheduled for February 7 at the IBF’s headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey, had been postponed a week ago until Tuesday because promoters for Brook and Spence had made significant progress toward reaching a deal.
Eddie Hearn, Brook’s promoter, and promoter Tom Brown, who’s representing Spence, reached an agreement Monday and informed the IBF to cancel Tuesday’s purse bid.
[Image: brook-spence.jpg]
Spence (21-0, 18 KOs), a powerful southpaw from DeSoto, Texas, is the mandatory challenger for Brook’s IBF 147-pound title. Hearn had encouraged Brook (36-1, 25 KOs) skip the Spence fight to move up to 154 pounds because Brook has such trouble making the 147-pound limit.
Hearn also had negotiated with Amir Khan (31-4, 19 KOs) for what would’ve been a lucrative domestic showdown in England, but they couldn’t come to a financial agreement. Hearn acknowledged discussions with Miguel Cotto, too, but talks with Puerto Rico’s Cotto (40-5, 33 KOs) never really intensified.
With those two high-profile options off the table, Brook refused to give up his title and will oppose Spence in his first fight since moving up two weight classes to challenge Kazakh knockout artist Gennady Golovkin in a middleweight title fight. Brook underwent surgery after sustaining a fractured orbital bone around his right eye during a fifth-round technical knockout loss to Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) on September 10 at O2 Arena in London.
Brook had another two weeks to decide whether to give up his IBF welterweight title. The IBF granted him a two-month medical extension to determine whether he wanted to make his mandatory defense because Brook still was recovering from surgery.
That 60-day medical extension, which the IBF approved late in October, didn’t start until December 26 because that’s the date by which Brook’s mandatory defense was due.
Spence knocked out Italy’s Leonard Bundu (33-2-2, 12 KOs) in the sixth round of his last fight, August 21 in Brooklyn, New York.
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#2
Cracking fight. 50-50 imo. Kell has home advantage but I worry about him draining himself to make 147. Spence looks like he has the whole package but the yanks said that about Jeff Lacy...
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#3
(02-15-2017, 03:15 AM)U.K. Fight Fan Wrote: Cracking fight.  50-50 imo. Kell has home advantage but I worry about him draining himself to make 147. Spence looks like he has the whole package but the yanks said that about Jeff Lacy...

I thought Brook was naturally a welterweight. Is he more a superwelter?
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#4
Ive got spence in this one unfortunately
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#5
Love Spence. Don't know much about Brook except by reputation.
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#6
Brook is a waste of talent. Hes an excellent fighter, very good speed, power, chin, combination punching, good stamina. At his best id pick him over spence as i think he has the stylistic edge.

But other than his excellent win over shawn porter, he hasnt done much apart from call out Amir Khan for like 5 years.

The fight with golovkin was absurd, and the broken orbital bone plus the fact he now walks around in the 180's means i think hes finished as a 147 fighter and spence will beat a pretty bad version of brook quite easily.
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#7
(02-15-2017, 06:12 AM)Justapakeha Wrote:
(02-15-2017, 03:15 AM)U.K. Fight Fan Wrote: Cracking fight.  50-50 imo. Kell has home advantage but I worry about him draining himself to make 147. Spence looks like he has the whole package but the yanks said that about Jeff Lacy...

I thought Brook was naturally a welterweight. Is he more a superwelter?

Yeah. He was always a huge welterweight but with his move up to 160 and his age I think he should have gone to 154 and vacated his title.
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#8
(02-15-2017, 02:15 PM)Infern0 Wrote: Brook is a waste of talent. Hes an excellent fighter, very good speed, power, chin, combination punching, good stamina. At his best id pick him over spence as i think he has the stylistic edge.

But other than his excellent win over shawn porter, he hasnt done much apart from call out Amir Khan for like 5 years.

The fight with golovkin was absurd, and the broken orbital bone plus the fact he now walks around in the 180's means i think hes finished as a 147 fighter and spence will beat a pretty bad version of brook quite easily.

All very true. I'm clinging onto the hope that the occasion will get to Spence. He has been matched fairly comfortably up until now. Brook has the experience. And something which I noticed about Spence that Pauline malinaggi mentioned in a interview was that Spence doesn't react as well as you would like to see when being hit. At least not for someone who wants to be the best at 147. And Kell can bang when he wants to.

Should be a great fight whatever happens.
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#9
(02-15-2017, 11:40 PM)U.K. Fight Fan Wrote:
(02-15-2017, 02:15 PM)Infern0 Wrote: Brook is a waste of talent. Hes an excellent fighter, very good speed, power, chin, combination punching, good stamina. At his best id pick him over spence as i think he has the stylistic edge.

But other than his excellent win over shawn porter, he hasnt done much apart from call out Amir Khan for like 5 years.

The fight with golovkin was absurd, and the broken orbital bone plus the fact he now walks around in the 180's means i think hes finished as a 147 fighter and spence will beat a pretty bad version of brook quite easily.

All very true. I'm clinging onto the hope that the occasion will get to Spence. He has been matched fairly comfortably up until now. Brook has the experience.  And something which I noticed about Spence that Pauline malinaggi mentioned in a interview was that Spence doesn't react as well as you would like to see when being hit. At least not for someone who wants to be the best at 147. And Kell can bang when he wants to.

Should be a great fight whatever happens.

I could see a situation where Sprnce does what andre dirrell did when he went to the uk and loses it.

Psychologically ive already seen spence start straying into the "big mouthed american" role, which he neve usually does and is a sure sign he feels at least somewhat threatened.
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#10
Brook-Spence May 27 on Showtime

Kell Brook will defend his IBF World Welterweight title against US star Errol Spence at Bramall Lane in Sheffield on Saturday May 27, live on Sky Sports Box Office and on Showtime Championship Boxing in the US.

Brook makes the fourth defence of his beloved IBF strap he landed in the States in August 2014 with a career-best win over Shawn Porter, and blitzed Jo Jo Dan, Frankie Gavin and Kevin Bizier before stepping up to Middleweight to face fearsome Kazakh Gennady Golovkin at The O2 in September – and now the Sheffield star welcomes another unbeaten superstar into the ring.

Undefeated Spence became the mandatory challenger for Brook’s belt when he blasted Leonard Bundu inside six rounds in August, the eighth straight stoppage win for the Texas-based New Yorker who went into the fight after destroying Chris Algieri inside four rounds two months earlier.

Brook and Spence are promising to deliver an electric night at the home of Sheffield United FC.

“I’m so excited about this fight and also about making history in my city,” said Brook. “It’s long been a dream of mine to fight outdoors at Bramall Lane and I’m pleased to do that in the biggest fight in the Welterweight division. I saw many people talk about how I would avoid Errol Spence – they don’t know me, they don’t know what I’m about. All I’ve ever wanted to do is to give the fans the fights they want and they have it right here on May 27 – I’m going to show the world that I’m the best Welterweight on the planet and I’m going to do it right before my people’s eyes.”

“I’m happy I’m finally getting an opportunity to accomplish a lifelong dream of becoming a World champion,” said Spence. “I feel that this is one of the best and biggest fights in world boxing and I am 100 per cent focused and determined to bring the belt back home to the USA – on May 27 I will be more than ready.”

“This is one of the best fights in world boxing,” said Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn. “Many believed that Kell Brook would look to avoid Errol Spence but he is a proud man who never ducks a challenge. Coming off the fight with GGG this is an extremely tough fight to come back to but I believe Kell Brook is the best Welterweight in the world and he will have the chance to prove it on May 27. It’s ‘The Special One’ vs ‘The Truth’, a historic event at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane – we are planning an unforgettable night.”

“This is great news for Kell and Sheffield United,” said Sheffield United director Scott McCabe. “We have been working with Matchroom for some time to bring this high profile fight to our Bramall Lane stadium where we have exciting plans to stage further significant events utilising the high standard facilities that have been developed by the Club in recent years.”

Brook and Spence come face-to-face at a press conference this week where Hearn will announce the ticket details for the event.
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