England’s Kell Brook enters the biggest test of his career on Saturday in his first shot at a world title.
Brook (32-0, 22 KOs) will make his first appearance outside of the United Kingdom when he faces welterweight titlist Shawn Porter (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET) at StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Entering with a two-inch height advantage against Porter (24-0-1, 15 KOs), Brook will look to extend his consecutive knockout streak to five against one of the brightest young stars in the division.
If Brook, 28, has hopes of taking home the belt, he should take note of these keys to victory:
Live by the jabBrook is a prototype boxer-puncher with a well-rounded skill set. He combines speed, power and technique to set up and slowly break down his opponents over the course of the bout. But his success begins and ends with his jab, specifically to set up his right hand within one of his quick two-punch combinations. Keeping the aggressive Porter at bay will be job No. 1 for Brook, and he doesn’t get there without establishing his jab.
Catch him coming inPorter has taken his career to the next level in recent fights, considerably raising the ceiling of his potential. A major part of that has been the success of his steamrolling, attacking style meant to overwhelm his opponents from the start. Brook’s well-timed right uppercut could be the perfect punch to stall Porter’s forward momentum and catch him off guard.
Gain his respectPorter has become more of a puncher than pure boxer lately and has used his explosiveness to score a pair of breakthrough wins over Devon Alexander and Paulie Malignaggi. In both fights, Porter’s opponents were swallowed up by his pressure. To avoid falling into a similar trap, Brook will need to stand his ground at times early and establish his power enough to give Porter something to think about. Being lured into an all-out brawl wouldn’t play to Brook’s strengths as a balanced fighter, but he’ll need to provide enough resistance early to gain Porter’s respect.
Fight with spiteBrook’s July 2012 bout with Carson Jones was the true test of his will and hidden intangibles that his young career needed, with Brook overcoming a broken nose to win by majority decision. But their rematch one year later offered Brook a chance to be an entirely different fighter. And boy was he. Entering the ring with a nasty streak and oozing with confidence from the opening bell, Brook acted like a mercenary en route to a one-sided eighth-round stoppage. Looking to channel that same level of spite and contempt for his fight against Porter would be imperative if Brook hopes to raise his game to its highest level.
Seize the dayBrook has been in a perpetual state of waiting for his first world title shot for a couple of years now. He was originally scheduled to face then-titlist Devon Alexander in January 2013, but saw the bout postponed three times due to separate injuries sustained to both fighters. In the meantime, Alexander went on to lose his belt to Porter. Now Brook will finally get his chance, which from experience he knows can be elusive. He will need to put it all on the line in order to overcome his toughest opponent to date.
