Amir Khan vs Kell Brook: Reason behind Sheffield fighter’s change of gloves revealed

It is understood a clause was inserted into the pair’s fight contract, stating neither man was allowed to wear gloves containing horse hair, which are typically used by boxers with greater punching power.

Khan’s camp are believed to have thought Brook had broken this rule with his choice of gloves – and the Sheffield fighter later claimed he was told he would not be paid unless they were changed to ones containing foam.

Brook said: "He (Khan) said he wasn't happy with my gloves.

"In the final moment in the ring, they said they wouldn't pay me unless I put new gloves on."

One insider told The Star Khan’s eleventh-hour demands were just the latest in a series of mind games from his team.

“It was them trying to put a spanner in the works,” they said. “It’s what happens in the big fights.

"If they would have cut Kell’s gloves open after the fight and found one horse hair they were talking about suing people."

A decision was made to change Brook’s gloves in the ring in order to avoid disrupting his warm-up backstage.

The insider added: "The outcome was exactly the same as we predicted, the gloves made no difference whatsoever.”

Brook also claimed someone knocked on his door in the early hours of Saturday morning to try and disrupt his sleep.

He said: “They tried to get into my head by pushing and poking me, but I took care of business as I said I would do.”