Can Sergey Rabchenko Stage a Massive Upset Over Kell Brook?

Former welterweight champion Kell Brook hopes to end a two fight losing skid as he faces Sergey Rabchenko in his hometown of Sheffield, England.

Brook will be coming to the fight after back to back losses to Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence.  In both bouts, Brook fractured his orbital bone and in both times, he needed surgery to repair the damage. Brook is 36-2 with 25 stoppages. Majority of his fights have been in England and this is yet another one of them.

Looking For A Big Win

Brook isn’t really a knockout artist but he does have plenty of pop in his punches. Nine of Brook’s last 12 wins have come by stoppage. He is looking to get a big win by scoring another a big knockout to get back in the winning column and remain relevant. But it may not be a walk in the park against a tough customer like Rabchenko

Since getting knocked out by Tony Harrison in an IBF title eliminator in 2016, Rabchenko has won back to back fights but against lesser known opponents. The former EBU light middleweight champion has a record of 29-2 with 22 knockouts. Although he will be fighting on hostile ground, this is Rabchenko’s seventh bout in England.

Concerns on Brook

Although Brook is a huge -1850 favorite at BetOnline (Rabchenko is the +925 underdog), this is a tricky fight for the Special One. He is coming off back to back losses for the first time in his career and he is trying to get back in the winning column by moving up to light middleweight.

There is also concern about Kell Brook’s right eye socket which was broken against Errol Spence and required surgery. While he has been cleared to fight, who knows how that eye is going to react once it gets hit multiple times again, now by a bigger opponent.

Must Win Situation

To his credit though, Brook’s two losses came against Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence, two of the most avoided fighters in the planet. All things considered normal, Brook is going to be back in his element, fighting with a high IQ and counterpunching very well against a bigger and slower opponent.

Rabchenko though is a tough fighter and is going to try and put the pressure on Kell Brook. He knows that Kell is in a must win situation and is pressured to win, especially in front of his countrymen. If Brook isn’t ready to get into a war, we may see an upset. All things considered though, Brook gets the benefit of the doubt. At 31, there is still something left in that tank and Brook is going to show that against Rabchenko.

Kell Brook wins this fight by decision.