Trainer Dominic Ingle talks to Sky Sports

Having been made to bide his time before finally getting a crack at becoming a world champion, it was always going to be the case that Kell Brook would be ready for the big occasion.

On August 16, in Carson, California, the Sheffield fighter gets the chance to get his hands on the IBF welterweight title. The opportunity has been a long time coming, and trainer Dominic Ingle has made sure his man is ready to do whatever it takes to return home with the belt in his possession, making those long runs, those weights sessions and the seemingly endless hours on the pads all worth it.

Standing in the Sheffield man’s way is reigning champion Shawn Porter, an American who, like the challenger, boasts an unbeaten record.  An ‘O’ will have to go it seems.

“The one thing we couldn’t be for this fight was underprepared,” Ingle told Sky Sports before Brook and his team flew out to the United States.

It appears that definitely won’t be the case. Seemingly no stone has been left unturned in the build-up – Brook has been to sunnier climes twice for warm-weather training, plus sparring partners have been hand-picked to replicate Porter’s ring style.

“By The time he steps into the ring in Carson he will have been in camp for 16 weeks – that’s the longest he’s ever had,” Ingle – no stranger to world title fights from his time working with Naseem Hamed, Junior Witter and Sky Sports’ very own Johnny Nelson - continued.

“It’s not been 16 weeks of madness – it’s been a steady build-up. There are reasons for that, just by the process of the Devon Alexander build-up and things going backwards and forwards. Nothing was ever nailed down.

“Paulie Malignaggi boxed Porter at the end of April and I said to Kell four weeks before that we needed to start camp. We were looking at July, so we needed to give ourselves enough time to allow for the shenanigans as well. They might have even bought the date forward.

“He (Brook) has put all the work in. He’s had good training camps out there in the heat in Fuerteventura. It’s just getting him to peak at the right time. He’s in great shape and has his mind on the job."

Frustrating

The fight against Porter will not just be the biggest night of Brook’s career. It will also put to an end a frustrating period that has seen his career dogged by setbacks.

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He won an eliminator way back in the summer of 2012 but has since been made to wait for his opportunity. Injuries, both to himself and scheduled opponents, have scuppered previous dates. Devon Alexander was lined up more than once but then lost his title to Porter. Each time it seemed to edge closer, Brook's path was barred by another obstacle.

Brook himself admits at times during the last 18 months he had found himself in a “dark place”. His trainer has been there with him throughout the ups and the downs, and believes that his man will only be stronger for what he has been through, what he has had to endure in the bid to become a world champion.

“More than anything for Kell it’s been hard. You just want things to move along smoothly, but yet it never does in boxing,” Ingle said.

“The one thing about the sport is that there’s always something happening with injuries, pull-outs, delays. That’s part of the game. But that makes you a better person if you can handle it.

“Kell has had to put up with a lot. He