Kell Brook vs Jessie Vargas being targeted for spring

Former welterweight titleholders Kell Brook and Jessie Vargas may be on a collision course, as ESPN reports that Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing is working on a deal to pit the fighters against one another this spring.

The report says the fight would take place in the United States (on the west coast) and likely happen in late May or early June.

Brook (38-2, 26 KO) bounced back from losses to Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence Jr with a pair of victories in 2018, stopping Sergey Rabchenko in March and outpointing Michael Zerafa in December, the latter considered a truly disappointing performance from Brook even though he got the clear win.

Brook was anticipating a 2019 fight with Amir Khan, but Khan is instead facing Terence Crawford on April 20 in New York. That left Brook searching for a new plan, and it looks like we’ve landed on Jessie Vargas.

Vargas (28-2-2, 10 KO) went 0-0-2 in 2018, earning draws against both Adrien Broner and Thomas Dulorme. The result against Dulorme was particularly discouraging for Vargas’ future prospects, but a win over Brook would put him right back in the race at 147.

As for the weight, that’s not decided, but it would be either at 147, or a catchweight no higher than 150. Brook fought at 154 for his fights with Rabchenko and Zerafa last year, but says he can still make the welterweight limit.