Promoter Eddie Hearn believes enough progress has been made in the last 24 hours that things are looking positive for a highly-anticipated all-British showdown to take place between IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook and former world champion Amir Khan. With Wembley Stadium already on hold for a June 4 date, the charismatic promoter has revealed that after an interesting 24-hour period that included "positive" conversations between the two camps, fans can be hopeful that the fight will finally come to fruition.
"We have made decent progress in the last 24 hours, but these are the ups and downs of making a fight. If you had asked me 48 hours ago, I would have told you this is dead, a waste of time, then all of a sudden, you get one phone call and think, 'This may just get made'. This happened with Quigg and Frampton. There were plenty of times where I spoke to Barry McGuigan and I slammed the phone down and said, 'That is it, no more talk, no more conversation, forget it, we are going a different way,' and then we had a conversation that we thought, 'just maybe,' and I have had one of those conversations [with Team Khan] in the last 24 hours, so boxing fans, don't give up hope on Brook vs. Khan on June 4 just yet," Hearn commented while speaking to Sky Sports News.
Both Hearn and Brook have been vocal about their desire to make this long-anticipated all-British showdown since the Sheffield man won the world title from Shawn Porter back in August of 2014. Unfortunately, Brook has only competed twice since capturing the world title. Brook was left fearing for his career after being stabbed on holiday in Tenerife, but he successfully returned to the ring with stoppage wins over Jo Jo Dan and Frankie Gavin before withdrawing from a scheduled world title defense against Diego Chaves due to a rib injury. It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for Brook during his time as world champion as, thus far, that big name has eluded him, however, Hearn has stressed that Brook has to be respected if any big fight deal is to be signed.
"Kell Brook is desperate for this fight, but it doesn't mean he will just roll over and let Team Khan tickle his belly and tell him what they are going to pay him. We have to be respected. He is the world champion, but the money on the table in this fight, I can't understand why this fight wasn't signed six months ago. But great fights take time. Froch-Groves II were very difficult negotations, [Scott] Quigg against [Carl] Frampton went on for years before we got that made, and in the end, it was just the willingness of both fighters to fight each other. There is too much money to leave on the table. There is too much legacy to leave to create a fight at wembley that will be remembered for years and years and years, and there is a world title on the line," Hearne continued.
Though it is possible for both fighters to go their separate ways and create legacies without each other, like Brook, Khan has also had well-documented frustrations in chasing big fights. After being overlooked by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao for big fights in the last 12 months, Khan has been left relatively inactive, albeit by his own choice. Now that those fights appear to be a distant dream at the moment, Khan's next move could be a career defining one. The Danny Garcia rematch for the WBC welterweight title is an attractive proposition for him, but both the intrigue and the financial aspect of the all-British showdown with Brook overshadows the Garcia fight.
"I think it has moved a little bit closer over the last 24 hours, but there is still a long way to go. I think when all the options are presented to Amir Khan, he will think that the only fight to make is Kell Brook. But, you know, speaking to a number of people from their team over the last few days, I think they want the fight. I think it will get made," Hearn informed IBTimes. So it appears that small steps are being made from both sides to get this fight done, but it remains to be seen whether it can be signed, sealed, and delivered in time for June 4. No doubt we will hear more in the coming weeks and FightHype.com will bring you all the updates on this scenario.