Kell Brook is not worried about Gennady Golovkin's knockout power
Friday 26 August 2016 11:59, UK
Kell Brook insists he is not worried about Gennady Golovkin’s power and says the Kazakh superstar will have to earn his respect in the ring on September 10.
Reigning IBF welterweight champion Brook (36-0-KO25) is preparing to challenge fellow undefeated fighter and WBA Super, IBF and WBC middleweight champion Golovkin (35-0-KO32) at The O2, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Brook will be fighting at middleweight for the first time and faces one of boxing's most deadly knockout artists but the Sheffield fighter believes his speed rather than Golovkin's power will be the defining factor in the fight.
Speaking to former Golovkin opponent Matthew Macklin, who visited the 30-year-old's training camp to observe his preparations, Brook said: "I have got no respect for him when I get in that ring. He has got to show me the power to get that respect.
"My thoughts for this fight are to keep the speed of a welterweight coming up, but to also use the extra power I will have at a higher weight.
"That is what I have got to do - use the speed and use the angles. I need to be elusive, use movement, be thinking and be sharp in this fight."
Brook added: "I have to drain a lot to make welterweight. I know I am going to be coming into this very healthy, very hydrated and full of carbohydrates so I will have that energy to last 12 rounds and keep that speed and power throughout every round."
The now-retired Macklin knows all about Golovkin after being stopped by him in brutal fashion inside three rounds in June 2013 in his third attempt to win a world middleweight title.
The Birmingham-based Irishman went close against Felix Sturm and Sergio Martinez but he was outclassed by Golovkin and he warned Brook that 'Triple G' is far more than just a power puncher.
Macklin told Brook: "You cannot allow him to read you. He is a very intelligent fighter; he is not just a puncher.
"He never really caught me with a big shot to the head. Your jab is a ramrod but so is his so I'm curious to see how that goes when the battle of the jabs occurs in the fight.
"What I found with him is his punches were quite unorthodox and his balance was exceptional. That was the thing that stood out to me along with how quickly he was able to cut the ring off so it is important that your movement is very good in this fight."
