‘Devastated’ Brook gives masterclass to young boxers

World title contender Kell Brook put the uncertainty surrounding his big debut in America behind him to give children from his home city a boxing masterclass on Monday.
World title challenger Kell Brook signs shirts in Sheffield at the Sky Sports Living for sport boxing masterclass. (
Picture: Mark Robinson).World title challenger Kell Brook signs shirts in Sheffield at the Sky Sports Living for sport boxing masterclass. (
Picture: Mark Robinson).
World title challenger Kell Brook signs shirts in Sheffield at the Sky Sports Living for sport boxing masterclass. ( Picture: Mark Robinson).

Brook has been left “devastated” at the news that Devon Alexander could be pulling out of their scheduled IBF welterweight title fight on Saturday, February 23, with a reported bicep injury.

“I’m still in limbo” said Brook who expects to receive confirmation of the cancellation at the weekend.

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“I’m absolutely gutted. I’d been training for 13 weeks, then I heard from my family. Finding out the news, I can’t put into words how devastated I am.

Sky Sports Boxing Fit Masterclass with Scholl Children From Sheffield and presenters Johnny Nelson, Charlie Webster and Boxer Kell Brook. 
(Picture: Mark Robinson).Sky Sports Boxing Fit Masterclass with Scholl Children From Sheffield and presenters Johnny Nelson, Charlie Webster and Boxer Kell Brook. 
(Picture: Mark Robinson).
Sky Sports Boxing Fit Masterclass with Scholl Children From Sheffield and presenters Johnny Nelson, Charlie Webster and Boxer Kell Brook. (Picture: Mark Robinson).

“But I’ve got to be professional. I’ve got to keep ticking over, keep my mind on it and wait.

“This kind of thing has happened to me before on a smaller scale. It is hard to deal with, but I’ve just got to be ready for what comes next.”

Floyd Mayweather is now rumoured to be fighting Alexander, to which Brook said: “I’m not sure. I don’t know if it’s a ploy to get Mayweather and Guerrero fighting – to make them fight each other for the WBC.

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“With things in boxing, you never know what’s going to happen, but Eddie Hearn’s going over for the Rees Broner fight this week and he’ll be with Richard Schaeffer so we should find out more in the next week or so.

“Devon’s been on my mind for weeks and weeks now and I want to show those people who haven’t heard of me in America. I want to get in there and rip that title off him and explode onto the world scene”.

The unbeaten Sheffield fighter put all the uncertainty to one side on Monday when he returned to Sheffield to help put on a Sky Sports Living for Sport masterclass with ex-fighter Jonny Nelson.

Children aged between 11 and 14 from Sheffield Springs Academy and All Saints Catholic high school were in attendance.

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Brook said: “Obviously I was one of these young lads and me and Johnny are Sheffield lads so I think we’ll bring inspiration from what we’ve achieved in boxing and it’s great for us to be here.

“From school I used to get down to the boxing gym and Brendan (Ingle) would be learning with his blokes so it kept me from being naughty on the street.”

Nelson, 46, the former WBO cruiserweight champion, added: “I know when Kell and myself and all the young guys who came from St Thomas’, we started off this way and we had to learn for fun first the basics.

“If you enjoyed it, you stuck at it and that way if you had discipline and you had success and that’s what you see in me, that’s what you see in Kell, and that’s what you see in many young fighters coming through.

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“For these guys here, they may not even want to do it as a profession. They may want to do it for a bit of discipline, just to be healthy, for that community spirit – that’s what it’s about. Getting that community feel going.”

Kell Brook is supporting Sky Sports Living for Sport, a free secondary schools initiative, delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, that uses sport stars and sport skills to improve the lives of thousands young people across the UK. For more information visit skysports.com/livingforsport