Former WBO junior welterweight boxing (and undefeated ISKA and WKA kickboxing) world champion, Chris Algieri claimed he would be open to fighting Kell Brook in England, if a deal can be made with Brook’s management, Matchroom Boxing.
Algieri spoke out about both Brook and Amir Khan fighting above their weight classes in their last fights against, Gennady Golvkin (GGG) and Canelo Alvarez, respectively.
Both Khan and Brook have been going back-and-forth at one another in various interviews, with very early talks between both parties being confirmed. However, both boxers are coming off concussive defeats at the hands of two of the most powerful Middleweights in world boxing.
Khan was knocked out by a perfectly timed right hand from Canelo, and Brook needed emergency surgery for a broken eye socket following the relentless damage he received at the hands of GGG. The financial rewards for both men were obviously worth the risks taken by the two bitter rivals but Algieri raised valid questions about the long-term impacts of such decision making by Brook.
“It’s a dangerous fight. He injured his eye in that fight. I hope it’s not but are you gonna tell me that there’s not gonna be any long term damage from that? I don’t know about that. So every time a fighter fights, there’s a chance of injury, permanent injury. So on paper you know, it’s a good business move but it can hurt too.
“You never know how it’s going to play out but that fight. The end of the day, unless Brook was able to win, it didn’t really make a big, big splash in the boxing world, cause the fight didn’t. Honestly, I don’t think it made a whole lot of sense, similar to the Canelo-Khan fight. You’ve got guys jumping up two weight classes to fight guys they shouldn’t be in the same ring with, especially so drastically.”
However, Algieri was very complimentary of the courage shown by both Khan who, he lost a close decision to in 2015 (at the Barclays Center in New York), and Brook for taking on such big challenges despite the odds being stacked against them.
“I honestly tip my hat to both them guys, Khan and Brook. It takes big balls to go up there and jump weight classes and fight dangerous, dangerous guys. Cause you know, Canelo’s just as dangerous as GGG.
“I was more impressed with Canelo’s knockout of Khan then I was of GGG knockout of Brook. Because Canelo went out there and he boxed and he went out there and he landed one shot and it was the perfect punch and he knocked Khan out. I’m not more impressed cause he knocked him out. I’m impressed because he worked on setting up a single shot, he made it a perfect shot – that’s impressive.”
When asked if he would fight the current IBF welterweight champion, Kell Brook, in the near future, Algieri confidently responded:
“Yeah. We’re in the same weight class and everybody knows that I’m willing to fight anybody out there so they’re all viable opponents.”
If Brook and Algieri were to meet in the ring though, the UK would most probably be the most attractive location for such a fight from a financial perspective but would Algieri be happy to travel to Brook’s home turf in Sheffield (or Wembley stadium even)?
“Absolutely. I mean, I went to Macau to fight Pacquiao in basically his back yard, he trained in the Philippines. Right after the Provodnikov fight they asked me would you fight Pacquiao, I said sure. They asked me, would you fight him in China, I said yeah aren’t we in a boxing ring, what’s the difference? As long as I fight in a boxing ring it doesn’t matter what country or state it’s in.
“Like I said, there’s a lot to make the fight happen but hey man if they make the other stuff work out then why not?”
Click here to listen or download the full podcast episode with Chris Algieri who, talks in-depth about his vast experiences in: the world of kickboxing, pro boxing and the work he does with the International Society of Sports Nutrition; and much more including, the World Muay Thai Summit.
