Kell Brook earns world title tilt

Published on 21/10/2012 01:46

Kell Brook brought the house down on his biggest night in 
Sheffield, stopping Argentine Hector Saldivia inside three rounds to book himself a shot at a world title.

The hometown hero twice floored his well-regarded opponent, once in the first round with a right hander and then again 28 seconds into the third, with a savage left jab stunning the man known as El Tigre.

Brook is now undefeated in 29 fights and his next will be for the IBF world welterweight title early next year – with Randall Bailey or Devon Alexander lying in wait.

Last night’s demolition job was a far cry from Brook’s last appearance in July when he hung on for a majority verdict against Carson Jones, with his bloodied shorts and broken nose not the hallmarks of a man headed for a shot at a belt. But he has since honed his physique to a new level, desperate not to fall into similar traps and pursue his dream of ruling the world.

He sees himself as the man to succeed Naseem Hamed as a world champion from Sheffield, and looked desperate to prove his new credentials, fizzing into his stride with a leading left, with Saldivia looking loose early on. His lack of a defence would cost him too, with Brook teeing up a right that floored him for a count of eight. Just 28 seconds into the third, Brook found Saldivia wide open and put him down with a venomous jab that he could not recover from.

“There were some demons after my last fight,” Brook admitted afterwards. “But I knew in the dressing room that I was ready. When we go for the world title, we will carry on where we have left off.”