Kell Brook could be the next opponent for undefeated WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford.
The 34-year-old Brit, who holds a record of 39-2 (27), has fought his last three bouts at junior middleweight following his 11th round knockout loss to Errol Spence Jr for the IBF welterweight title in May 2017.
That loss came eight months after Brook’s fifth-round knockout to Gennadiy Golovkin in his ambitious bid to win the unified world middleweight championship.
Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn said he has opened discussion Crawford’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.
“I had a couple of conversations with Bob [Arum] and Carl Moretti yesterday,” Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn said to iFL TV.
“I feel that’s a big fight for UK TV, so we’re trying to help out and get that over the line. Personally, I would love to see Kell get that fight.”
Prior to the global coronavirus pandemic Brook was listed as a potential opponent for Crawford by Arum, although the Hall of Fame promoter had him at the bottom of the list.
“There are a number of possibilities,” said Arum to talkSPORT earlier this year. “[Keith] Thurman, [Shawn] Porter or this kid [Yordenis] Ugas, the Cuban who’s a good, good welterweight.
“They’re with Al [Haymon’s] company PBC. But we’re working well together with that company, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem.
“And then finally there’s Kell Brook. So the first possibility is [Manny] Pacquiao, if that’s possible. Second possibility is a fight against one of Al’s guys. And the third possibility is Kell Brook.”
Omaha, Nebraska’s Crawford 36-0 (27) has recently engaged in a social media war with WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr 31-1 (18) after the Maryland native claimed he broke the 32-year-old southpaw’s jaw at the Olympic Centre in a heated argument a number of years ago.
The three-weight world champion dismissed the claims and threatened to break Russell Jr’s neck. Russell Jr, also 32, offered to move up four weight classes to settle the dispute in the ring.
While the online bickering continued, former WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman added his two cents on Crawford.
“You never got respect in the game at 147,” said Thurman to Brian Custer on the Last Stand podcast recently. “You haven’t pushed the buttons at 147.”
Thurman, who is coming off a close 12-round decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in July last year, reportedly wanted $10 million to face Crawford. Arum quickly shut down the idea.
Hearn admitted that the proposed Crawford-Kell bout will come down to dollars and cents with both boxers expecting to be rewarded handsomely for the fight.
“I think [Top Rank] had a conversation with Keith Thurman, and obviously they wanted too much money,” Hearn said.
“It’s difficult at the moment… Crawford wants a lot of money, and Kell wants a lot of money. He deserves it.
“We’re trying to make that fight happen to assist Top Rank in getting the numbers together.”
Crawford claimed his first world title at 135-pounds six years ago when he lifted the WBO belt from Ricky Burns in Glasgow, Scotland.
He has since claimed world honours at 140 and 147-pounds, going 14-0 (11) in world title fights.
