Can Kell Brook better McGregor and beat the fearsome Golovkin?

“Congrats @TheNotoriousMMA on a great win – you moved up 25lbs.. just the 13lbs for me!”

Above is the shrewd tweet sent from Kell Brook’s Twitter account following Conor McGregor’s iconic victory over Nate Diaz.

A prudent play as it implies that his quest to topple Gennady Golovkin on September 10 in London is achievable.

Brook and his promotor Eddie Hearn realise people’s reluctance to buy PPV’s when they foresee only one outcome.

And unfortunately for IBF welterweight champion Brook, his chances of claiming Golovkin’s middleweight titles are miniscule- a compliment to the formidable 160lbs fighter rather than a disparaging remark fired at Brook.

Disregard the jump in weight and just consider who will be standing opposite Brook in two weeks.

‘GGG’ is a veteran of the sweet science ring with 345 wins as an amateur. He defeated Matvey Korobov, Andy Lee and Lucian Bute on route to obtaining the 2003 world championship gold medal.

As a professional, no middleweight cuts down the ring, stalks their opponents or punches harder than knockout artist Golovkin.

A stat worth repeating is that he has the highest percentage of knockout wins in middleweight history, a frightening 91%.

British fans ought to be wary before drawing encouragement from Martin Murray’s brave display against the Kazakh. The contest ended with Murray being stopped in round eleven after GGG controlled the encounter from the off.

A look back on history

Others are using history to stoke up Brook’s probability. They argue that Sugar Ray Robinson became a five time middleweight champion after asserting his beautiful dominance at welterweight.

But Sugar was the greatest pound for pound boxer ever to grace the ring.

Manny Pacquiao’s demolition of Oscar De La Hoya is another unjust comparison. The once great Mexican was a fading force who retired after the beating he endured to the lighter ‘Pac Man’.

The mastery of Henry Armstrong when he held the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight titles simultaneously is almost beyond belief – an era when there was only eight weight categories to compete in. Like Sugar Ray Robinson, the legendary impressions he made in boxing will never be replicated.

More recently, and more comparably, welterweight Amir Khan was brutally knocked out in round six against Canelo Alvarez at 155lbs.

The last time Sheffield’s Brook was in a competitive fight was two years ago against former IBF champion Shawn Porter.

His decision win was subjectively close yet impressively career defining. But a match-up against game Porter at welterweight compared to the infamously avoided Golovkin at middleweight are two challenges worlds apart in terms of difficulty.

Team Golovkin are vehemently talking up Brook’s capabilities, an indication that they don’t see him as an ominous threat. Floyd Maweather employed the same rhetoric when he fought Andre Berto to equal Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record.

If Kell Brook outpoints the methodical GGG or penetrates his granite chin, it will surpass the triumph of Conor McGregor.

‘The Special One’ is in dangerous waters. A middleweight monster is waiting to pounce. And back at welterweight, exciting contender Errol Spence Jr, the ‘future of boxing’, is now the mandatory challenger for his belt.

But at least Kell Brook, like Conor McGregor, is daring to be great.

Image Source: roundbyroundboxing.com