By Jared Parry
KELL Brook reigned supreme as he knocked out bitter rival Amir Khan in the sixth round of a fight that lived up to expectation and more.
There was controversy at the AO Arena before the first bell as there appeared to be an issue with Brook’s gloves. Brook completed his iconic ring-walk, and changed his gloves in the ring whilst Khan made his way inside the ropes.
A high pace was set from the start.
Khan’s best trait has always been his lightning hand speed, and he instantly showed this with some slick combinations.
Khan initially looked in control, but in the final minute of the first round Brook landed a pinpoint jab right onto Khan’s chin, forcing the Bolton man’s legs to stiffen. From this point on, Brook took control.
By the fourth round the pace had visibly decreased, while in the fifth Khan continued to dance around Brook. But by the stage Khan’s shots had lost their sting and his combinations had slowed down.
In the closing moments of the round, Brook walked Khan down and caught him before pouring in with a series of combinations and forcing his opponent to be saved by the bell.
At the start of the sixth, Brook caught Khan immediately sending the 39-year-old into survival mode.
With Khan against the ropes and Brook unloading punches freely, referee Victor Loughlin jumped in and stopped the fight, sparking scenes of jubilation from Brook and his trainer Dominic Ingle.
Following the fight, Brook spoke about how he’s delighted he can finally close this chapter in his career and set his sights on a potential domestic clash with Chris Eubank Jr.
Khan meanwhile suggested retirement is on the cards, admitting he has lost his love for the sport.
Meanwhile, the chief support to the main event saw Natasha Jonas win a world title at the third time of asking, moving up three weight divisions to super-welterweight to knock out Chris Namus in the second round.
Jonas’s win was expected to come via points because of the jump in weight, but she emphatically proved her doubters wrong.
The rest of the undercard saw the Azim brothers impressing again as Adam knocked out Jordan Ellison and Hassan beat MJ Hall on points.
Brad Rea continued his rise with an impressive first round knockout victory, while Germaine Brown captured the English super-middleweight title with a points win over Charlie Schofield.
Viddal Riley, a man well known for his YouTube exploits, extended his record to 5-0 and both Abdul Khan and Ibrahim Nadim won their four round fights, meaning both remain undefeated.