5 Things We Learned From Amir Khan Vs Kell Brook

More than a decade in the making, one of the most highly anticipated fights in British boxing went down last night as Kell Brook dismantled long-time rival Amir Khan in front of a sold-out audience.

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Khan Still Possesses Incredible Hand Speed

Perhaps a strange takeaway to make from a fight in which he was on the receiving end of a pretty one-sided beating, especially as the rounds wore on, but Amir Khan did prove that his ridiculous hand speed has not diminished with time.

Despite being wobbled in the early going, Khan began to settle into the fight in the second round, and landed several blisteringly quick combinations as Brook continued to walk the former unified light-welterweight champion down.

Despite the old adage that speed is one of the first attributes to deteriorate as a fighter enters the twilight years of their career, Khan proved that the skill for which he was so often praised during his prime has not yet left him.

Though the fight will likely mark Khan's final bow as a professional, it is clear that he still possesses the abilities necessary to defeat sub-world level competition.

Amir Khan vs Kell Brook • FULL POST FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE | Sky Sports Boxing

Brook Did Not Respect Khan's Power

With the years of bitter rivalry leading into this contest, few analysts had predicted that either fighter would take an overly-cautious approach leading into this one and they were right.

Right from the outset, both fighters met in the centre of the squared circle and began trading combinations.

Brook would be the one to take the initiative, however, landing a clean left hand in the first round that wobbled Khan and from that point on the Sheffield fighter never took his foot off the accelerator.

Though Khan would recover to survive the early onslaught, as the rounds wore on it became clear that Brook did not respect the power of his opponent, instead electing to constantly stalk his wounded opponent.

A perfect example of this could be seen in the second round. Khan appeared to have begun to settle into the fight and start working behind his jab and looking to score points, then, just as the round drew to a close, Brook landed a heavy shot that derailed Khan's momentum immediately.

Sky Can Still Put on the Fights Fans Want To See

Though the headlines this morning will focus almost entirely on what happened in the ring last night, it has to be said that from a promotional standpoint last night served as a major success for Sky Sports in the post-Matchroom era.

With Eddie Hearn's stable of fighters, Sky Sports had established itself as the place to catch all of the biggest domestic action live on pay per view. However, in the summer of last year, Hearn and Matchroom sensationally left Sky, taking his roster of fighters with him to the DAZN streaming platform.

This event proved that Sky Sports can still have success in the boxing sphere without the outspoken Hearn at the helm, but for how long?

Despite featuring a couple of recognisable names on the undercard, the event was marred by egeriously poor matchmaking. British Olympic Bronze Medalist Frazer Clarke made his highly-anticipated professional debut only to find himself facing off against the completely overmatched Jake Darnell.

Already aged 30, Clarke will need to remain active and his quality of competition will need to increase exponentially if he is to have any chance of competing for a world title before he hangs up his gloves.

This Will Likely Be Khan's Last Fight

Speaking of hanging up gloves, Amir Khan revealed post-fight that last night will likely be his final bout as a professional.

After all, Khan entered the ring with Brook having not competed for more than two and a half years since picking up a win against Australian Billy Dib in Saudi Arabia back in 2019.

If Khan does decide that his walk to the ring last night will be the final one of his professional career, it is important that he is recognised as one of the greatest British fighters of his generation.

After winning a Silver Medical in the 2004 Olympics aged just 17, Khan would go on to become one of the most recognisable faces in world boxing, defeating the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera, Paulie Malignaggi, and Zab Judah among others.

Though long-mooted super fights with the Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao's of the world would ultimately not come to fruition, Khan proved his undeniable toughness in 2016 by going up to middleweight to challenge current pound for pound king Canelo Alvarez, coming up short in a brave effort.

Despite being something of a divisive figure amongst boxing fans, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who could deny his influence on the sport and his ability to sell a fight.

The Legendary Speed Of Amir Khan (2019)

But Brook Will Fight On...

With a decisive one-sided win against his longtime rival under his belt, now would probably be the perfect time for Kell Brook to ride off into the sunset with a headline victory as his final bow.

However, as we all know, boxing doesn't exactly work like that and it appears that Brook has already turned his attention to his next bout, a long-rumoured clash with Chris Eubank Jr.

Eubank Jr was quick to make his challenge known on social media in the aftermath of last night's event, tweeting his challenge to the victorious Brook.

Brook likewise seems keen on the idea of meeting another rival inside the ring. In an interview post-fight with Sky Sports Box Office last night he remarked:

“Yeah if I do continue with the game, why not? I don’t like him and I would like to punch his face in as well.”

Another showdown between British boxing stars will be music to the ears of both fans and the Sky Sports team, but as Khan Vs Brook proved, getting two heated rivals to settle their differences inside the ropes isn't always so easy.

KELL BROOK POST AMIR KHAN WIN! SAYS ONLY THING MISSING IN CAREER IS FIGHT VS CHRIS EUBANK JR!