Kell Brook surprised many by coming to California and lifting Shawn Porter's belt this past Saturday night in a grueling, not all that pretty to watch fight. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, is planning a homecoming title defense December 6th in Sheffield, England.
No opponent has been named, but we should expect it to be someone who can make Brook look good in front of his adoring hometown fans.
Speaking of his fans, Brook said, "I am so proud to be bringing the title back to Sheffield. The people have always supported me so passionately from day one, and I am sure that they all stayed up to see me win the title."
Now, what about Amir Khan? According to Hearn, representatives from Showtime came to Brook's dressing room after his victory over Porter and said "let's talk".
Hearn has said he's looking at next Spring or Summer potentially at Wembley Stadium for what would be a major event in England.
"I think this [Brook-Khan] fight can be made, but people have to put arrogance and ego to one side. Before, when we offered Khan 3 million pounds to fight, he didn't fancy it. Kell had a reasonable name and no title. He has a huge name and a world title now. That changes the negotiating position a lot, but this is such a big fight, everyone can do well out of it. So long as Khan doesn't demand an unrealistic split, we should make it happen."
Back to December, Hearn threw out some names including Andre Berto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Brandon Rios, and Josesito Lopez. I doubt we see JMM go to England for that fight, but the others are good possibilities. Since Brook isn't aligned with any network, US promoter, or Haymon, he's got lots of options.
Beyond that, do you think Khan will sign to fight Brook next year?