Former IBF welterweight world champion Kell Brook (36-2, 25 KOs) admits that he considered the possibility of retirement after his most recent loss, an eleventh round knockout at the hands of Errol Spence back in May at Bramall Lane in Sheffield.

It was Brook's second loss in a row, by stoppage. Last September, he jumped up by two weight divisions and was stopped in five rounds by middleweight king Gennady Golovkin.

He suffered serious injuries in both contests. He suffered a fractured left eye socket in the fight with Golovkin and a fractured right eye socket in the loss to Spence. Both injuries required surgery.

As he was in the hospital, recovering from the surgery for the most recent injury, the thought of retirement was on his mind.

He plans to take some time off to get his head right. He hints at making 'big changes' upon returning.

“After the Spence fight I was in hospital having scan, finding out my eye had been broken, my Mum and Dad were talking about me retiring. I thought about my career, how I started off against Peter Buckley (Don Valley Stadium, 2004) how everything had flashed by and wondering where all that time had gone," Brook said to the Sheffield Star.

“I was thinking about whether to retire especially after the camp I’d had, it wasn’t the best. I had been ill three times during the run-up. But I am going away to clear my mind and maybe when I come back I’ll change some things. Maybe big things. I’ll come back clear-minded about everything and do what I think is right. At the moment I don’t know what is going to happen. Like I say, I will be thinking about a lot of things.”

Brook says the welterweight limit of 147 nearly “killed him” to make and he plans to campaign at junior middleweight. He would consider fighting against at 147 if the right fight came along, but he is looking forward to 154.

“If the right fight came along it would be something I’d have to think about [taking a fight at 147]. They are bigger guys, taller, stronger and it is going to be tough to go that extra gear," Brook said.