Tag Archives: Kell Brook

Can Sergey Rabchenko Stage a Massive Upset Over Kell Brook?

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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.

Boxing Ring

Kell Brook vs. Errol Spence Odds and Prediction

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Kell Brook returns to welterweight to defend his IBF title against mandatory challenger Errol Spence of the United States.  The bout will be held on May 27th, 2017 at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, England, which is Brook’s hometown.

Brook’s Big Balls

Brook is coming off a punishing defeat at the hands of unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin last September 10th, 2016. As if Golovkin wasn’t a challenge big enough for him, Brook fights at welterweight to defend his IBF belt against the most dangerous non-champion out there.

Errol Spence is undefeated in 21 bouts with 18 KOs. The former US 2012 Olympian has been on a tear lately, stopping Chris Van Heerden, Alejandro Barrera, Chris Algieri and Leonard Bundu in succession. He is the IBF’s #1 contender and is looking to win his first ever world title. Brook is Spence’s toughest opponent to date while Brook is being praised for his willingness to fight a tough foe in Spence immediately after his loss to Triple G.

Champ is Underdog

Interestingly, Spence is the odds on favorite here at -165 while the champion Brook is at +145. The lines are close, yes but the oddsmakers are giving the younger and less experienced fighter the edge over a battle tested champion. But as his nickname is, Errol Spence is The Truth.

The southpaw Spence has a three inch reach advantage over Brook and that could play an important factor in this fight. Being the better overall pure boxer between the two, the edge in length will enable Spence to set up his punches with his jabs. Spence has power in both hands and has stopped his last eight opponents, but he’s not your usual power puncher who rushes for the KO and swings wildly on his opponent. He’s got a high boxing IQ and a polished defense.

Length and Power Decides

Brook has the advantage because he will be fighting in front of his home crowd and he will be very motivated to bounce back from his loss to Gennady Golovkin. Like Spence, he has a high boxing IQ and can fight on the inside and outside. He also has more experience than the American, but as we said earlier, Spence has the length and power advantages over him. Having said that, it’s hard to pick against Spence right now. He’s on an impressive winning roll and has matured a lot in recent years.

We’re picking Errol Spence to win by decision or late stoppage.