Sheffield's Kell Brook and Adam Etches on the treadmill for Nick Blackwell

Kell Brook is happy to get in the ring with the world's toughest welterweights - but he draws the line at football!
Kell BrookKell Brook
Kell Brook

Sheffield’s IBF champion and boxing buddy Adam Etches spent much of the weekend on a treadmill at Napoleon’s Casino, raising money for Nick Blackwell who is in an induced coma after sustaining head injury.

Stage two of their bid to help is a Summer football match to raise further funds. But Brook, who confesses trainer Dom Ingle and promoter Eddie Hearn were less than enthusiastic about the gruelling treadmill challenge, will manage one of the soccer teams from the sidelines. “I remember Junior (Witter) had a big fight and did his knee (playing football six years ago.) Ever since that it’s been downhill for Junior. I don’t fancy the players I am playing against wanting to try and take my legs away from me!”

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Brook said he was raising funds for Blackwell because the boxing community was like a family. “I know how hard it is, I’ve been at it 21 years, it is so hard getting up every morning, training, dieting, sacrifices and I know Nick wanted to go on and do massive things, but got a head injury in the fight with Chris Eubank.

“It is a sport you can legally get killed in so I wanted to make awareness that fighters do care and try and raise as much money as we can. Every penny will help. I feel for the kid.”

Brook said Blackwell had been a great sporting ambassador: “But I don’t think he will ever box again, so it (fund raising) is just to help him out in whatever else he wants to do after boxing.”