Kell Brook
Ezekiel "Kell" Brook is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2022. He held the International Boxing Federation welterweight title from 2014 to 2017, and challenged once for a unified middleweight world title in 2016. At regional level, he held multiple welterweight titles, including the British welterweight title from 2008 to 2010. In May 2017, Brook was ranked as the world's best active welterweight by The Ring magazine.
Amateur career
Brook had his first amateur fight at age 12 under the guidance of Brendan Ingle. At the end of his amateur career, he had won 31 of his 36 fights, winning two Amateur Boxing Association of England titles and two National Association of Boys Clubs British Boxing Championships and a gold medal in the 4 Nations. An early inspiration for Brook was Naseem Hamed, who was also trained by Ingle at the same Wincobank gym.Professional career
Welterweight
Early career
Brook's first fight as a professional took place in September 2004 with a 6-round points victory over experienced journeyman Peter Buckley at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield. He would fight again four more times that year to end 2004 with a record of 5–0 in just four months. Brook went about learning his trade against a host of journeymen before getting the opportunity in June 2008 to fight for the British welterweight title having compiled a winning record of 16–0.Domestic and regional success
The championship fight at London's York Hall saw Kell Brook take on Welshman Barrie Jones for the vacant title. The fight was not without controversy however as the previous incumbent, Kevin McIntyre, had been stripped of the title after he sustained an injury and had to pull out of his scheduled defence against the Yorkshireman. Brook ended up winning the vacant title with a seventh-round technical knockout of Jones who had come in at relatively short notice.Having won the title Brook was then ordered to face the former champion and the bout took take place in Glasgow's Kelvin Hall on 14 November 2008. Prior to the fight and referring to the bad blood that has built up between the two fighter's Brook said, "Once I knock out McIntyre in style then there will be no question mark over who should be British champion." When the fight finally did happen, Brook put McIntyre down three times in the first round to win by TKO to send the Glasgow crowd home disappointed.
On 30 January 2009 Brook returned to the York Hall to meet former marine Stuart Elwell in a voluntary second defence. The fight again ended quickly when the referee stopped the fight in the second round, handing victory to Brook. He claimed the Lonsdale belt outright on 20 July 2009 when making his third defence against Prizefighter winner Michael Lomax. The fight, at the MEN Arena in Manchester, was on the undercard to Amir Khan's world championship victory over Andreas Kotelnik and saw Brook win by TKO in the third round. After the fight Brook said that he believed he was the best in Britain but couldn't say for sure until he's beaten Chorley's Michael Jennings who he challenged to a match-up.
On 25 September 2009, Brook pipped fellow champion Nathan Cleverly for the prestigious title of Young British Boxer of the Year award, as voted for by the Boxing Writer's Club. The vote was the closest in the history of the award with Brook claiming the honour by one vote over Cleverly who held both the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles. In winning the award Brook joined a list of boxers which included the likes of Ken Buchanan, John H Stracey, Barry McGuigan, Nigel Benn, Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe and Amir Khan.
Brook's first fight of 2010 took place in Liverpool on 12 March 2010. The fight, for the WBO Inter-Continental title, pitched Brook against Poland's Krzysztof Bienias, a man last beaten by Junior Witter in 2005 and with a run of seventeen straight wins. Brook collected his second career title when in the sixth round the fight was stopped by the referee following a dominant display by the Yorkshireman.
Brook vs. Jennings
Brook's long-awaited fight against Michael Jennings was due to be next on 3 July 2010 until a rib injury forced the fight to be postponed for a second time. The fight, for Brook's British title was then scheduled to take place between Jennings and former Commonwealth welterweight champion John O'Donnell before O'Donnell pulled out and was then rescheduled between Brook and Jennings. Finally, on 18 September 2010 Brook boxed Michael Jennings at the LG Arena in Birmingham. Brook defeated Jennings via fifth-round TKO after the latter sustained a cut, with the referee deeming the injury too severe for the bout to continue. The win doubled as Brooks's fourth defence of his British title and the first defence of his WBO regional title. On 11 December 2010 Brook made his second defence of his WBO Inter-Continental title, defeating Phillip Kotey via second-round TKO. The win ensured that Brook kept his number one ranking with the WBO.On 8 April 2011 Brook split from promoter Frank Warren and joined the Matchroom Sport boxing stable under Eddie Hearn, with Brook saying that he was "really buzzing" to have joined the outfit. Hearn said that he was "excited about adding Kell to our stable". Speaking of Brook he said "Kell oozes class and has that something special about him – in short he is going to be a superstar." Brook's first contest for the promotional outfit was on 25 June 2011 at the Hillsborough Leisure Centre in Sheffield and resulted in a twelve-round unanimous decision victory against Lovemore N'dou, capturing the vacant WBA Inter-Continental title in the process.
Miscellaneous wins
On 17 March 2012, Kell Brook took his undefeated run to 27 fights by beating Matthew Hatton, brother of Ricky Hatton, by UD in Sheffield. The scores were 119–107, 119–108 and 118–109 all in favour of Brook. In front of nearly 10,000 fans at the Motorpoint Arena, Brook added the IBF International welterweight title to his WBA Inter-Continental title. Brook floored Hatton in the ninth round but could not knock out his Mancunian opponent. The fight gave record breaking viewing figures for Sky Sports' Fight Night Live programme as well as being the most watched fight of the year in Britain. Afterwards he said on the prospect of facing Khan: "Of course I want Khan, I've been banging on about Amir Khan, but I'm going to do my own thing and if that fight happens, it happens, and I'll smash him. I want to be fighting at that top table now with elite fighters. I think I've proved I deserve to be there."Brook faced Carson Jones at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield on Saturday 7 July 2012. Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Sport promoted the fight with it being billed "Edge of Glory" as both fighters saw this fight as a stepping stone to a shot at a world title. The fight was shown live on Sky Sports 1. The weigh in took place in Sheffield's Winter Gardens on 6 July with Brook weighing in at 10 st 6 lb 10 oz and Jones weighing slightly less at 10 st 6 lb 6 oz. Brook dominated the early rounds, moving well and connecting regularly with two and three punch combinations. However, as the fight went on he began to tire and Jones was able to land shots of his own. Brook's nose was broken in the eighth round. He was almost floored in the final round but was able to hold on until the bell. Brook did enough in the early rounds to win the fight by majority decision, as the judges' scorecards read 114–114, 116–113, and 115–113 in Brook's favour. Brook was taken to hospital after the fight due to blood loss from his broken nose.
In August 2012 Matchroom Sport announced that Brook would face veteran Hector Saldivia at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield on 20 October 2012. The winner would then become the mandatory challenger for the IBF welterweight title held at the time by Randall Bailey. At a packed weigh-in the day before the fight at Sheffield's Meadowhall Centre, both fighters weighed in under the 147 lbs limit. Brook started strongly, knocking Saldivia down midway through the first round. The second round was very similar with Saldivia unable to deal with Brook's accuracy and power. In the third Brook landed a solid, well timed straight which sent the Argentinian to the floor again. This time he struggled to get up as his legs wobbled beneath him and the referee stopped the contest in the third round.
Brook vs. Alexander cancellation
After becoming the mandatory challenger, Brook was set to fight Devon Alexander for the world title on 19 January 2013 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. However, Brook announced he had sustained an ankle injury and the fight was pushed back until 23 February 2013 and the venue changed to the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan. Then Alexander announced he had a bicep injury causing the fight to be rescheduled yet again to 18 May 2013 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, Brook would later pull out of the fight again after injuring his foot, scrapping the fight for a third time, with fellow Brit and Matchroom stablemate Lee Purdy taking his place and going on to lose via seventh-round corner retirement.Brook vs. Jones II, Senchenko
After the saga with Devon Alexander Jr., Brook took a rematch with Carson Jones in Hull, England on 13 July 2013. Brook took the early rounds of this contest looking far too powerful and quick for the American. Brook went on to win by eighth-round TKO to take his record to 30–0.It was announced shortly after the rematch with Jones that Brook would next face Vyacheslav Senchenko at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield on 26 October 2013. Senchenko had recently beaten Ricky Hatton, causing him to retire for good from boxing. Brook said he was using this as motivation and wanted to "get revenge" for a British boxing hero and a personal friend within the sport. Hatton was ringside for the fight and spoke to Brook in the dressing room just prior to the fight. The first and second rounds were very cagey encounters with neither fighter wanting to give too much away, with Brook using his jab more effectively and taking both the rounds. In the third Brook knocked his opponent down with a powerful right, forcing Senchenko to take the eight count before continuing. Brook started the fourth strongly by out-boxing his Ukrainian opponent, although Senchenko did unsteady Brook for a few seconds before Brook sent Sencheko back to the canvas with another right. Referee Shada Murdaugh concluded that Senchenko was in no position to continue and Brook was declared the winner by TKO.