Kell Brook facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kell Brook
Brook in 2020
Statistics
Real name	Ezekiel Brook
Nickname(s)	The Special One Special K
Rated at	Welterweight Light-middleweight Middleweight
Height	5 ft 9 in
Reach	69 in
Nationality	British
Born	(1986-05-03) 3 May 1986 (age 39) Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	43
Wins	40
Wins by KO	28
Losses	3

Kell Brook (born 3 May 1986) is a British former professional boxer. He competed from 2004 to 2022. He was the International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion from 2014 to 2017. He also fought for a world title in the middleweight division in 2016. In May 2017, The Ring magazine ranked Brook as the world's best active welterweight boxer.

Amateur Career

Kell Brook started boxing at age 12. He was trained by Brendan Ingle. As an amateur, he won 31 of his 36 fights. He won two Amateur Boxing Association of England titles. He also won two National Association of Boys Clubs British Boxing Championships. He earned a gold medal in the 4 Nations tournament. A boxer named Naseem Hamed, who trained at the same gym, was an early inspiration for Brook.

Professional Career

Welterweight Fights

Starting Out

Brook's first professional fight was in September 2004. He won against Peter Buckley in Sheffield. He fought four more times that year. By the end of 2004, he had a record of 5 wins and 0 losses. Brook gained experience by fighting many different boxers. In June 2008, he got a chance to fight for the British welterweight title. At that time, he had won all 16 of his fights.

Winning British Titles

The championship fight was in London. Kell Brook faced Barrie Jones for the empty title. Brook won the title by technical knockout (TKO) in the seventh round.

After winning, Brook had to fight the former champion, Kevin McIntyre. This fight happened in Glasgow in November 2008. Brook knocked McIntyre down three times in the first round. He won by TKO, keeping his British title.

On January 30, 2009, Brook defended his title again. He fought Stuart Elwell and won quickly in the second round. He won the Lonsdale belt for good on July 20, 2009. This was his third title defense against Michael Lomax. The fight was in Manchester. Brook won by TKO in the third round. After this win, Brook felt he was the best in Britain.

In September 2009, Brook won the Young British Boxer of the Year award. He beat fellow champion Nathan Cleverly by just one vote. This award had been won by famous boxers like Naseem Hamed and Amir Khan.

Brook's first fight of 2010 was in Liverpool. He fought Krzysztof Bienias for the WBO Inter-Continental title. Brook won his second career title in the sixth round. The referee stopped the fight after Brook's strong performance.

Brook vs. Jennings

Brook's big fight against Michael Jennings was set for July 2010. But it was delayed twice because of injuries. Finally, on September 18, 2010, Brook fought Michael Jennings in Birmingham. Brook won by TKO in the fifth round. Jennings had a cut that was too bad to continue. This win was Brook's fourth defense of his British title. It was also his first defense of his WBO regional title. On December 11, 2010, Brook defended his WBO Inter-Continental title again. He defeated Phillip Kotey by TKO in the second round. This win kept Brook as the number one ranked boxer with the WBO.

In April 2011, Brook joined Matchroom Sport under Eddie Hearn. Brook was excited about the move. Hearn said Kell was "special" and would be a "superstar." Brook's first fight with Matchroom was in June 2011 in Sheffield. He won by a unanimous decision (UD) against Lovemore N'dou. He also won the WBA Inter-Continental title.

More Wins

On March 17, 2012, Kell Brook continued his undefeated streak. He beat Matthew Hatton, brother of Ricky Hatton, by UD in Sheffield. Brook knocked Hatton down in the ninth round. This fight had record-breaking viewers for Sky Sports. Brook said he wanted to fight Amir Khan.

Brook faced Carson Jones in Sheffield on July 7, 2012. Brook started strong in the early rounds. He landed many punches. But as the fight went on, he got tired. Jones landed some good shots, and Brook's nose was broken in the eighth round. Brook won the fight by a majority decision (MD). The judges' scores were 114–114, 116–113, and 115–113 for Brook.

In August 2012, Brook was set to fight Hector Saldivia. The winner would get to challenge for the IBF welterweight title. Brook knocked Saldivia down in the first round. He knocked him down again in the third round. The referee stopped the fight in the third round. Brook won by TKO.

Canceled Fights

Brook was supposed to fight Devon Alexander for the world title in January 2013. But Brook got an ankle injury, so the fight was moved. Then Alexander got an injury, and the fight was moved again. Brook then injured his foot, and the fight was canceled for a third time.

Brook vs. Jones II and Senchenko

After the Alexander cancellations, Brook had a rematch with Carson Jones in Hull. Brook looked much stronger and faster. He won by TKO in the eighth round. This brought his record to 30 wins and 0 losses.

Next, Brook fought Vyacheslav Senchenko in Sheffield on October 26, 2013. Senchenko had recently beaten Ricky Hatton. Brook said he wanted to "get revenge" for Hatton. Brook knocked Senchenko down in the third round. In the fourth, Brook knocked him down again. The referee stopped the fight, and Brook won by TKO.

Winning the World Title: Brook vs. Porter

After beating Senchenko, Brook became the mandatory challenger for the IBF welterweight title. He faced champion Shawn Porter on August 16, 2014, in California. Porter was expected to win. He started aggressively. But Brook stayed calm and showed his strong defense. Brook's skills took over in the later rounds. He landed clean punches that hurt Porter. Brook won the title by a MD. The scores were 114–114, 116–112, and 117–111. Brook landed 158 punches, while Porter landed 156. After the fight, Brook said he wanted to fight Amir Khan.

Defending the Title

Six months after an injury, Brook made his first defense of his IBF title. He fought Jo Jo Dan on March 28, 2015, in Sheffield. Brook landed strong punches from the start. He knocked Dan down multiple times. Dan's corner stopped the fight after the fourth round. Brook won and kept his title.

On May 30, 2015, Brook made his second defense. He fought Frankie Gavin in London. This was the first time two British welterweight boxers fought for a world title. Brook landed his jab well. He increased his pace as the fight went on. In the sixth round, Brook landed an uppercut and a straight left hand. Gavin was hurt, and the referee stopped the fight. Brook won by TKO.

In January 2016, Brook defended his IBF title for the third time. He fought mandatory challenger Kevin Bizier in Sheffield on March 26. Brook stopped Bizier in the second round. He hit Bizier with a left to the jaw and then a series of hooks. Bizier was knocked down and couldn't continue. After the fight, Brook and his promoter talked about fighting other champions.

Moving Up in Weight: Brook vs. Golovkin

On July 8, 2016, it was announced that Brook would fight Gennady Golovkin. Golovkin was an undefeated middleweight champion. The fight took place on September 10, 2016, in London. Brook moved up two weight classes to challenge Golovkin. The WBA did not allow their title to be on the line. They felt it was too big a jump in weight for Brook.

In the fight, Brook was hurt early. But he fought back strongly. He traded punches with Golovkin. In the fifth round, Brook's trainer threw in the towel. Brook lost by TKO. He suffered an eye injury. Even though he lost, many people admired Brook for taking on such a tough challenge.

Back to Welterweight

Brook vs. Spence Jr.

In January 2017, Brook was talking about fighting Amir Khan. But he also had a mandatory fight with Errol Spence Jr.. Talks with Khan broke down. So, Brook decided to fight Spence. The fight was set for May 27, 2017, in Sheffield.

In front of 27,000 fans, Brook lost his IBF welterweight title. Spence stopped him in the eleventh round. Spence landed many power shots to Brook's head and body. Brook fought well, but Spence wore him down. In the tenth round, Brook took a knee after being hit hard. In the eleventh round, Brook couldn't see well from his left eye. He took a knee again, and the referee stopped the fight. Brook lost his title. He said he lost to the better boxer. He also said he got hit in the eye, and it felt like his previous injury. A scan showed he had broken his eye socket.

Light-Middleweight Fights

After his eye surgery, Brook decided to move up to light-middleweight. He wanted to become a two-weight world champion.

Brook vs. Rabchenko

On March 3, 2018, Brook returned to the ring in Sheffield. He fought Sergey Rabchenko. Rabchenko was ranked #5 by the WBC. Brook weighed 153.4 pounds. Brook stopped Rabchenko in the second round. He hit Rabchenko with a right uppercut and then a straight right hand. Rabchenko was knocked down and couldn't continue. Brook won the vacant WBC Silver light-middleweight title. After the fight, Brook said he was "back at it."

In July 2018, Brook was supposed to fight Brandon Cook. But Brook injured his ankle and had to pull out.

Brook vs. Zerafa

In October 2018, Brook announced he would fight again in Sheffield on December 8. His opponent was Michael Zerafa. Brook won by a unanimous decision after twelve rounds. The judges scored the fight 119–109, 118–110, and 117–111 for Brook. Brook started fast but slowed down later in the fight. This was the first time Brook had gone the full twelve rounds since winning his IBF title in 2014. After the fight, Brook admitted he wasn't at his best.

Brook vs. DeLuca

After a long break, Brook returned on February 8, 2020. He faced Mark DeLuca for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental light-middleweight title. Brook knocked DeLuca down in the third round. He won by knockout in the seventh round with a strong left hook.

Return to Welterweight (Again)

Brook vs. Crawford and Khan

On November 14, 2020, Brook moved back down to welterweight. He fought undefeated Terence Crawford for his WBO world title in Nevada. In the fourth round, Crawford hit Brook with a hard jab. The referee stopped the fight after Crawford landed more punches. Crawford won by TKO.

On February 19, 2022, Brook faced his long-time rival, Amir Khan. The fight was in Manchester, England. Brook dominated the fight. He battered Khan and won by TKO in the sixth round.

Retirement

Kell Brook announced he was retiring from boxing in May 2022.

Professional boxing record

Pay-per-view Bouts

See also

In Spanish: Kell Brook para niños