Gennady Golovkin defeats Kell Brook to retain middleweight titles
Sunday 11 September 2016 14:36, UK
There was no fairytale ending for Kell Brook at The O2 on Saturday as he failed in his quest to dethrone middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.
Brook, the reigning IBF welterweight champion, jumped up two divisions to face the most feared man in boxing and proved that he can mix it with the very best, emerging with huge credit in defeat.
The 30-year-old produced a superb performance and even rocked Golovkin with a powerful uppercut that left the Kazakh knockout specialist with a bloodied nose.
But Brook's dream of becoming a two-weight world champion ended in the fifth round when trainer Dominic Ingle threw in the towel following a barrage of unanswered punches from Golovkin.
After suffering the first defeat of his career, Brook was taken to hospital and was confirmed to have sustained a broken right eye socket.
Promoter Eddie Hearn stated Brook would undergo surgery to repair the damage on Monday in his home city of Sheffield.
Brook told Sky Sports News HQ: "They [the doctors] have said I have to have an operation, but I need to wait until the swelling goes down.
"I have broken the eye socket, but they are saying I will make a full recovery."