Confirmation expected soon for Kell Brook's next title shot

Kell Brook's chances of adding another world title to his IBF championship have suddenly got a whole lot better.
Kell Brook has Canadian Kevin Bizier on the ropes. Picture by Dean WooleyKell Brook has Canadian Kevin Bizier on the ropes. Picture by Dean Wooley
Kell Brook has Canadian Kevin Bizier on the ropes. Picture by Dean Wooley

Confirmation is expected soon that a unification fight against WBO welterweight champ Jessie Vargas will be held in Sheffield Arena on August 20 or 27.

Contracts could be signed in the next few days.

The match would be in line with Brook’s declared intention of cleaning up the division, even if the opponent himself is not everybody’s idea of a major threat.

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Boxingnews24 website describes Vargas as “low hanging fruit for Brook” adding: “This is obviously a great deal for the 30-year-old Brook because he’s got a light punching fighter in Vargas coming over to his own home town to fight him.

“Many fans see the 27-year-old Vargas as a paper champion.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn has certainly tried to capture bigger names like Danny Garcia, Amir Khan and Tim Bradley.

That has failed to materialise but at least a local crowd will hopefully now see Brook capture the WBO belt. Brook has tweeted that confirmation of his next date will happen “any day now.”

He barely broke sweat in his last fight, a second round KO of Kevin Bizier in March.

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Keeping an eye on the situation is Liverpool’s WBO light middleweight champion Liam Smith who fights on June 4 but says: “I’m going to be brutally honest; Kell Brook is the fight I want. I would bite your hand off for that fight.

“Kell is a nice lad and I get on with him but it’s a fight that people would love to see.”

Promoter Frank Warren says he has already offered Brook £600,000 to fight Liam Smith - which, in fairness, would be chicken feed compared to any bout with Khan, for example.

Hearn is not averse to Brook eventually moving up a weight, saying: “I can see Brook winning world titles at both light middleweight and middleweight and there are tempting fights to be made against Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez.”