Against the undefeated Errol Spence Jr, we will find out exactly how special Kell Brook is

Although the aim of boxing is always to win, sometimes losing in glorious fashion can be almost as good. Think of George Groves dominating Carl Froch for much of their first fight before that infamous stoppage. Or Dereck Chisora narrowly losing to Dillian Whyte in their recent bout after one of the best heavyweight fights in recent history.

For Kell Brook, the majority of the boxing world thought that his decision to step up two weight classes to fight Gennady Golovkin last September would result in serious damage to the Sheffield based welterweight world champion.

And to an extent, it did. On paper, it’s not pretty reading for Brook. He was pulled out by his corner in the fifth round, and suffered a fractured eye socket in the process. But paper is only good for notes at times, because Brook’s performance in that fight was nothing short of exceptional.

The smaller man by some margin, he went toe-to-toe with the mythical Golovkin, gave out some hard shots of his own and withstood a number of brutal hits from his decorated opponent, despite suffering such a nasty injury early on. Brook lost the fight and his carefully constructed undefeated record, but earned not only respect, but proof that he can hang with the very best.

Many expected the 30-year-old to move up to light middleweight after his brief middleweight experiment, but instead Brook has chosen to stay at welterweight, and will defend his IBF title for the fourth time tonight at Bramall Lane, against the undefeated and highly rated Errol Spence Jr.

The buzz around Spence began at the London 2012 Olympic Games where he reached the quarterfinals, and his professional career has resulted in consistent, and quietly ruthless performances against increasingly good opposition.

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Victories over the likes of Leonard Bundu, Chris Algieri and Chris van Heerden have showcased both the speed and power Spence possesses, which are two attributes that have consistently defined the greatest welterweight fighters. Spence has stopped 11 of his past 12 opponents, but crucially maintains an impressive defence despite his attacking instincts.

Brook has been hurt and dropped before, but how well he does in this fight against the younger Spence may be determined by what he takes from the Golovkin fight. Will he be inspired and enthused by the fact that he took ample amounts of power-punches by one of the heaviest-hitters on the planet? Or did the accumulative affect of those punches, and the damaging eye injury that followed, prematurely age a fighter who should be approaching his prime?

Both men made weight and looked exceptional on the scales, and Brook has vastly improved his stamina and concentration in the latter stages of fights. Spence has never completed all 12 rounds as a professional, and if he feels in any way daunted by fighting out of America for the first time as a professional in the lion's den that Sheffield United’s famous old ground no doubt will be, Brook could look to ramp up the pressure as the bout reaches its conclusion.

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Despite the discrepancy in experience between the two fighters, Spence is the betting favourite at 4/7, with Brook a 7/4 underdog. The mood around boxing suggests that the fresher American will have his breakout moment tonight against a fighter who has been waiting his entire career for a fight of this magnitude.

This evening we will find out exactly how special Kell Brook is, and we will also find out if George Groves can become a world champion at the fourth attempt. The Hammersmith hitman lost his first two attempts against Carl Froch, while a narrow split decision loss to Badou Jack in 2015 threatened to completely derail his career.

Now 29, Groves has worked hard to recover his early form with trainer Shane McGuigan, and is currently on a four fight win streak. To finally earn the vacant belt many people felt was always destined to be around his waist, Groves must defeat Fedor Chudinov. 14-1 across an eight year career, Chudinov has not fought since February 2016 when he lost to Felix Sturm, who failed a drug test following the fight.

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The Russian defeated Frank Buglioni at Wembley Arena in 2015 on points, but will face a much higher level of competition in Groves, who on his day is a bonafide world level fighter. Much will rest on the mentality of the Englishman however, as he has spoken openly about being affected by what happened in his previous fight against Eduard Gutknecht in November.

Groves won that bout on points, but Gutknecht was rushed to hospital following the bout after suffering a brain injury, and has yet to recover in any significant way. The dangers of boxing are known to all that compete, but some boxers are much more reticent to ‘pull the trigger’ in fights following bad injuries to their opponents. If Groves is fully focused on Chudinov he has every skill needed to outclass the Russian and secure the WBA super middleweight title, but concentration will be key.

Those looking to make money on a Groves win will have to dig deep as he’s a significant ⅕ favourite, while anyone fancying an upset can look at the 3/1 available for Chudinov. 8/11 for the fight to go the distance may tempt some punters who think that we could be in for a cagey battle.

Elsewhere in Sheffield, David Allen fights for the Commonwealth heavyweight title against Lenroy Thomas, undefeated super middleweight Jamie Cox fights in a Matchroom ring for the first time, and British amateur star Anthony Fowler makes his professional debut.