The 30 year-old, a predominant welterweight, took a thirteen pound punt to face middleweight force Gennady Golovkin and went toe-to-toe with the hard-hitting Kazakh through four pulsating rounds.
It seemed like curtains for the pre-fight underdog in the very first round when caught cold by the marauding ‘GGG’ early, although Brook fought back to close out the round with Golovkin’s full attention.
A second round full of clean punches landing on Golovkin’s chin followed, Brook’s best of the fight, until the favoured middleweight king came back strong to bust open the Brits right eye and reset the balance.
The third session was painful for Brook and took the most out of him, as he dabbed away at the wound and attempted to keep Golovkin from causing further damage. The round ended with Brook more than halfway to spent and on his way to what many thought was a nailed on loss in the first place.
Surprisingly, Brook came out strong in the fourth and caught Golovkin regularly again as the champion urged him on safe in the knowledge that his chin could withstand any barrage coming its way.
By the fifth, Brook could barely keep his hands up and trainer Dominic Ingle sensed the end was nigh. The respected coach waved his towel frantically at the referee as Brook opted to trade with Golovkin without protecting himself. Finally, Marlon Wright stepped in and confirmed Brook’s first loss in 37 bouts.
There’s no doubt Brook’s performance would have made a lot of people on both sides of the Atlantic stand up and take notice though as a move to 154 pounds looks imminent for the set-to-be former welterweight title holder.
In a chance meeting at the hotel following a brief trip to hospital, Brook exclusively told World Boxing News he would, ‘be back stronger after surgery next week’ after a considerable spell of recuperation time.
Sadly, the victory for Gennady Golovkin does nothing but reinforce what many of us already know, that the 34 year-old is the biggest hitter with the hardest head in the sport right now.
Bigger tests lie ahead for the HBO star, and mainly won’t be at 160 pounds, as Golovkin pushed his unbeaten run with a 23rd straight stoppage and Brook contemplates a future above the 147 limit.
