Bloodied but unbeaten Brook shifts focus to world title

Kell Brook proved he has the heart as well as the skill to survive the biggest crisis of his career to beat American Carson Jones by majority decision in a brutal, bloody clash in his hometown Saturday night.

With blood gushing from his nose the unbeaten welterweight took another step towards a world title but admitted that “things need addressing” in his preparations after Jones pushed him all the way in their IBF world title eliminator at Sheffield Motorpoint Arena.

“I think I’ve proved I’ve got the heart. I stood my ground and did what I needed to get the fight,” Brook said.

“I think I got the diet right but I need to get top men involved so I can sustain it through the whole fight. Things need to be addressed.”

Before the fight Brook, 26, was expected to increase his unblemished record of 27-0 (18) against a man with eight defeats on his record, despite being lower in the IBF rankings.

American Jones, 25, with a record of 34-8-2 (24 and 8KO losses) was a relative unknown except to the hardcore British boxing fans, but had won his last eight by knockout coming into the contest and looked to be the sternest test of Brook’s career to date.

Cheered on by around 7,000 fans Brook looked to impress and showed his slick movement and skill to dominate his American opponent in the early stages, who seemed to have no answer to the left jab of the Sheffield man.

In the early rounds Brook was fighting off the back foot, throwing a stiff left jab and occasional rights to tag the Oklahoma fighter almost at will as he was coming forward with relentless pressure.

Brook seemed to wobble the American in the third with a classy left-right combination and an overhand right before an uppercut from Jones convinced the Sheffield fighter to regroup and continue throwing his left.

In the fifth Brook seemed to have Jones in severe trouble for the first time in the fight and had the Sheffield fans on their feet screaming for a stoppage.

He began the round in a southpaw stance and caught his opponent with a superb right uppercut on the ropes, before landing with solid left-right combinations and two solid right hands smashing against the American, but Jones survived the round as Brook remained patient and picked his shots.

The sixth showed the first signs of a Jones comeback. Brook started by landing with the left jab and three right-left combinations had Jones in real trouble, but another uppercut from the American had the Steel-City fighter backing off as he worked to the body.

Jones turned the momentum fully in his favour in the seventh, keeping Brook against the ropes and landing with solid head and body combinations.

The fight was clearly opening up for Jones and in the eighth he caught Brook with a solid right that caused blood to flood from the nose of the Sheffield man. The American landed with a solid right but the undefeated welterweight rallied back towards the end of the round.

With blood oozing from his nose, Brook utilised his speed and movement with the left jab as he tried to regain some momentum, but Jones was clearly the aggressor as he continued to pin him to the ropes in the ninth.

But the Sheffield man would not back down and came back strong to have the crowd on their feet, cheering him forward as rights landed to put Jones in trouble again in the 10th as the American continued to come forward.

In the penultimate round both were connecting but Brook looked jaded as Jones was coming on strong.

In the 12th and final round Brook looked spent but courageously held on to prove he has the heart, surviving the onslaught as Jones came on stronger, but his early domination was enough to see him clinch the majority decision.

After a nervous wait judge Manfred Kuechler scored the fight a draw but judges Paul Barry and Steve Gray awarded 116-113 and 115-113 in favour of Brook, who extends his unbeaten record to 28-0 (18).

Brook was taken straight to hospital after losing too much blood from his nose, but promoter Eddie Hearn attests the hard fought contest to weight issues in training and thinks it is exactly the wake-up call the Sheffield fighter needed.

“We know he’s got unbelievable amounts of skill and now we know he’s got a great chin and a big big heart,” Hearn said.

“People underestimated Carson Jones, he had a slow start but he’s a tough kid, he’s a great fighter, great chin, big heart - when you step up the levels you get unstuck if you haven’t got the preparations right and that’s what nearly happened tonight.

“He left stones unturned in his preparations - he didn’t do his weight properly and I wasn’t happy going into the fight with how he’s prepared on that front - I didn’t think he would be strong going into the late rounds and I could see that sort of fight happening.

“Don’t get me wrong he trains very hard, I don’t want people to think he’s sitting about like a bum but every facet of your preparation has got to be immaculate if you want to be the very best – I want Kell Brook to be a pound-for-pound champion of the world, I don’t just want him to fight for a world title and just maybe win one.

“He’s not doing his weight like an idiot – he’s doing it like a British champion, but I want him to do it like a world champion.

“Moving forward he knows we’ve got to make changes now and if he’d have gone in there and stopped him in seven rounds, I still know to make massive changes, but maybe it would have been a little more difficult for him to accept, so maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.

“I saw him tonight afterwards and he’d given every ounce, but I told him, ‘things have got to change’ and he said ‘I know’.”

Next up for the man labelled the ‘Special One’ is Argentine Hector Saldivia in a final IBF world title eliminator, as Brook moves to just one win from becoming the mandatory challenger for the title.

But, after five fights in 12 months the Sheffield man has been told to take some time off as they look towards a possible October 20 date back in Sheffield.

“He’s got a shot to become a mandatory for the world title, he’s 26-years-old and he showed that he’s not quite ready,” Hearn said.

“I want the Hector Saldivia fight because I want him to go and prepare like an absolute nutcase and blow this guy into smithereens and put in a performance that says, ‘yes I’m ready for a world title’.”