Kell Brook v Gennady Golovkin II would be a cracker, says former world champion Clinton Woods

Brook was pulled out of the September battle with a cracked eye socket, an injury he received in the second round.

He carried on fighting until the fifth, giving a good account of himself - making Woods wonder whether an injury-free Brooks could mount a second, even more credible challenge.

And while Woods, world champion at light heavyweight from 2005-8, respects Golovkin, he questions his place in history amongst all-time middleweight warriors.

“I would like to see a re-match, definitely” said Woods. “Kell was fighting a good fight and I don’t think he got the hammering people have said.

“He was unlucky, how many times do boxers get a broken eye socket? How many times does a fighter get hit there and nothing cracks? Maybe he just got caught in the wrong place. But the fight was close. The first time I watched it I thought Kell was well beaten but I’ve watched it three or four times since and it was close!

“Kell caught him with some big shots.

“What’s in it for Golovkin to fight Kell again? Money. I think it would be an interest to TV viewers especially if Kell does not go back to welterweight and campaigns in what is a very ordinary middleweight division.”

Woods says Golovkin should not be considered as a historical great, on the basis that he has not fought a list of dynamic opponents at 160lbs.

“Look at the era where Roy Jones Junior was a middleweight - fighting people like James Toney and other top names. The same with Michael Nunn, Bernard Hopkins and Marvin Hagler. Compare their opponents with Golovkin’s - you’ve never heard of most of them. And he’d be in trouble if he went up to light heavyweight. I would be surprised if he wasn’t too small for Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev, they are animals.

“Middleweight is not the exciting division like it used to be, maybe Golovkin is just around in the wrong era” said Woods, who has a gym in Westfield.

“Kell looked strong at that weight, I can’t see him at welter again. His last three fights before GGG were easy, for him, he was too good for his mandatories. People would pay to see a Brook v Golovkin re-match!”

IBF chairman Lindsey Tucker wants Brook to begin negotiations with his mandatory challenger Errol Spence Jr. “On October 26, we’re scheduled to notify Brook to start negotiation with Spence,” he told RingTV.com. “He could say he’s giving up the title to move up in weight. He could say that he suffered from an eye injury and needs some additional time, so we could give him a medical extension. But we won’t know unless they come to us.”