CHINA TOPIX

12/22/2024 07:19:10 pm

Make CT Your Homepage

Boxing News & Rumors: Bob Arum Denies Rumored Timothy Bradley-Kell Brook Negotiations

Top Rank chief Bob Arum

(Photo : Getty Images) Top Rank chief Bob Arum recently denied the rumor that Timothy Bradley is close to signing a championship unification bout with Kell Brook.

Top Rank boss Bob Arum recently denied a rumor that his fighter Timothy Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KOs) is close to signing a deal for a championship unification bout with England's Kell Brook (35-0, 24 KOs) that is supposedly set for early next year.

Bradley, who beat Brandon Rios via an impressive ninth round TKO victory at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas last month, is the reigning WBO welterweight champion. Brook on the other hand, whose last fight was also a TKO win in May against countryman Frankie Gavin at the O2 Arena in London, is currently holding the IBF welterweight title.

Like Us on Facebook

SB Nation's Bad Left Hook reported that Brook claimed his camp is "very close to making the Bradley fight" and that he is enthusiastic about it.

"I need this, something will get me more recognition and that means an opponent that will get the fans really talking about me," said the 29-year-old Sheffield native. "I don't mind where it is, I'd prefer it to be over here but I could get up for a trip to Las Vegas as well. It's a Catch 22 situation. Where does he want to get beat?"

While Brook is clearly excited about the fight, Arum is noticeably disgusted by the news, telling Boxing Scene that "you can't rely on anything that comes out of England".

"Nobody has talked to us about it. Yeah, the English always do (make up stories)," said the 83-year-old boxing promoter. "I don't know anything about discussing a Kell Brook fight. But you can't rely on anything that comes out of England. Those guys just talk and talk and talk."

The reporter then asked him if his company would be interested in promoting such a fight, but Arum answered with a straightforward "no" as he reasoned that "there's no money in it."

"Nobody knows who Kell Brook is," he added.

Bradley is said to be one of the three fighters Manny Pacquiao could face during his farewell fight in April next year. If the Desert Storm gets a third crack at Pac-Man, then Brook will just have to continue dreaming of landing a big title fight in the US.

Real Time Analytics