Video: South Yorkshire gym rivals get behind Kell Brook, hoping he'll beat Gennady Golovkin

Boxing is an increasingly competitive business across South Yorkshire with gyms all scrambling for the best talent available.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Sep 2016, 16:28 BST
Updated 7th Sep 2016, 13:58 BST
Kell Brook during the public workout at Covent Gardens, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday September 6, 2016. See PA story BOXING London. Photo credit should read: Steve Paston/PA Wire.Kell Brook during the public workout at Covent Gardens, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday September 6, 2016. See PA story BOXING London. Photo credit should read: Steve Paston/PA Wire.
Kell Brook during the public workout at Covent Gardens, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday September 6, 2016. See PA story BOXING London. Photo credit should read: Steve Paston/PA Wire.

Rivalry is as sharp as a Kell Brook jab. But the whole fight community should come together to support Ingle thoroughbred Brook take on one of the biggest challenges any British boxer has ever faced - dismantling pound for pound number one Gennady Golvkin.

Glyn Rhodes, who runs Sheffield Boxing Centre, hopes all local gyms would set aside the competitive nature of their businesses to support Brook. “What an unbelievable thing it would be if Kell can beat Triple G” he said. “I’d like to think every boxing person would get behind the local kid. The facts are you’ve got a great middleweight boxing a great welterweight...but fingers crossed I hope Kell can pull it off.”

Kell Brook during the public workout at Covent Gardens, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday September 6, 2016. See PA story BOXING London. Photo credit should read: Steve Paston/PA Wire.Kell Brook during the public workout at Covent Gardens, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday September 6, 2016. See PA story BOXING London. Photo credit should read: Steve Paston/PA Wire.
Kell Brook during the public workout at Covent Gardens, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday September 6, 2016. See PA story BOXING London. Photo credit should read: Steve Paston/PA Wire.
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Rhodes said there were matches in history which showed underdogs can win. “It is a mammoth task...but it has been done before. You have got people like Lloyd Honeyghan beating Don Curry (1986) you’ve got John H Stracey who went to Mexico and beat Jose Napoles (1975) so there are lots of occasions where a massive underdog has come along and beat the favourite. The perfect example is Mike Tyson v Buster Douglas (1990.) So it can be done.

“Whether Kell does it or not I don’t know. Triple G is an exceptional fighter as an amateur and a pro you can’t question his pedigree.

“Kell is a welterweight coming up and Triple G is a natural middleweight so I think that might not be a good factor after all. In any match the weight is a big factor. You can’t get away from the fact that one is a welterweight one is a middleweight.

“One of the greatest fighters ever Sugar Ray Robinson moved up to box Joey Maxim at light heavyweight (1952) and when it came to the latter stages of the fight the weight played a big factor in it. He got beat. There are not many small guys who move up and beat a big guy.”

Related topics:South Yorkshire