Kell Brook vs Hector Saldivia Eliminator Likely For October 6

Kell Brook has one more hurdle to jump in order to get a shot at the IBF welterweight title, and it now appears as though he'll face Argentina's Hector Saldivia in a final eliminator bout on October 6 in Sheffield, England.

Brook (28-0, 18 KO) is coming off of a very hard-fought win over Carson Jones, as the American pushed the young British standout further than he's ever had to go before. 26-year-old Brook and promoter Eddie Hearn went into that fight hoping it was the final step toward a title shot, but the IBF threw Saldivia (41-2, 32 KO) into the mix beforehand.

Saldivia, 28, is probably best-known to most for his first round TKO loss to Said Ouali on the Mayweather vs Mosley undercard in 2010. The fight started well enough for Saldivia, as he floored Ouali quickly, but it turned on him even quicker, as he found himself on the canvas twice, stopped in just 1:47. It definitely didn't lack for excitement.

Since then, he's gone 8-0 (6 KO), though none of those wins have come over serious contenders. Having to fight again shouldn't be any major issue for Brook, since obviously he would have fought an interim bout before a potential title shot anyway, with Randall Bailey defending the IBF belt on September 8 against Devon Alexander, meaning it's very possible that the belt won't be up for grabs again until 2013 anyway.

Surely Brook wasn't going to just sit and wait from July 7 into next year for a title shot, and given how tough a fight Jones gave him, he probably wants to get back in and prove he can win a bit easier than that, too.