Golovkin vs Brook: Smith brothers hail Brook ahead of September 10 showdown
Friday 2 September 2016 16:20, UK
Callum Smith believes Kell Brook deserves tremendous credit for jumping up two weights to take on middleweight king Gennady Golovkin.
Brook (36-0-KO25), the reigning IBF welterweight champion, will challenge fellow undefeated fighter and WBA Super, IBF and WBC middleweight champion Golovkin (35-0-KO32) at The O2 on September 10, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
It will be Brook's first bout at middleweight and Smith has hailed the Sheffield-born fighter for taking a major risk by facing the Kazakh knockout specialist.
"You have got to take you hat off to him. It is a big jump and one that he did not have to do," Smith told Sky Sports News HQ.
"It is not as if he was stuck for options. He is a world champion. He could have stayed and defended his title or he could have jumped up one weight which I feel he'd probably be more suited to he has decided to jump to.
"He is not facing just anyone; he is facing one of the most feared fighters in the world so credit to him and good luck to him on the night."
Liam Smith, who is currently preparing to defend his WBO middleweight title against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez on September 17, has sparred with Brook in recent weeks and feels the 30-year-old's chances of claiming victory depends solely on whether Golovkin is in top form on the night.
"We have done a lot of sparring and he looks well," Smith said. "He looks well at the weight. He has sparred well and covered a lot of rounds.
"From his point of view, he has done everything he can. [If he doesn't win] it won't be for the lack of the shape he is in or his ability. It will be just be whether he comes up against a good Triple G on the night.
"I've said before I would pick him against a lot of middleweights but he is going up there to fight the best middleweight and in my opinion the best fighter in the sport, the pound-for-pound number one but I wish him all the best."
