• Welterweight

Brook can't beat me, he'd lose to Zab Judah - Khan

Amir Khan does not rate Kell Brook © Getty Images

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Amir Khan will not even entertain the prospect of a fight with fellow Brit Kell Brook, insisting the Sheffield fighter would not beat half the opponents Khan has already faced.

Brook cemented his place on the welterweight map with a clinic against Matthew Hatton, after which promoter Eddie Hearn insisted a fight with Khan had to happen.

However Khan, the former WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion, is currently preparing for a world title fight against Lamont Peterson, and he seems to find the suggestion of Brook's name quite insulting. In Khan's eyes, the 25-year-old is leagues below him and is only using his name to get people talking about him.

"Come on, man. Kell Brook?" Khan said in an interview with FIGHTHYPE. "I used to spar with that kid in the amateurs. I was 135lbs or 140 at the time and I used to just take him apart. Honestly, they used to say to me, 'You're only allowed to use one hand against him,' because I used to beat him up that bad.

"The other hand was never up there [protecting the face]. I would only use my jab. I can't believe out of the woodworks he just comes out and says he wants to fight me and that he can beat me and I'm running scared. I mean, he's been talking so much trash.

"He beat Matthew Hatton; come on, man. My last five opponents would probably beat Kell Brook. Kell Brook has not fought anyone in the top 10.

"It's funny how it works in the UK because everyone's kind of believing that he's such a good fighter if he's calling out Amir and the fight is not happening. People don't realise that A) the weight's different and B) I don't need him, he needs me. I've got nothing to gain from that fight.

"If I knock him out, they'll say, 'Oh, you were meant to knock him out.' And there's no title on the line, so what's the point in me going to fight him? Tell him to win a world title, not one of them WBF or whatever he's got. Win a proper world title and maybe I'll give him a chance."

Brook was labelled "special" by experts on the night of his win over Hatton, and Khan bristles at such a suggestion, having had to work so hard to gain such a reputation for himself. Khan cites wars with the likes of Marcos Maidana, labelled the Fight of the Year, as the kind Brook needs to win before he can even think about taking on Khan or Manny Pacquiao.

"Kell Brook needs to fight a young guy, like I fought Maidana," Khan said. "I mean, I fight young guys. Honestly, when I beat Lamont Peterson, Kell Brook should fight Lamont Peterson because Lamont Peterson would beat Kell Brook. 100 per cent he would. And I know Maidana would probably knock Kell Brook out.

"He wouldn't beat a Zab Judah. This bum who they keep bigging up, man, I can't believe they even big him up. I think maybe they only put him next to my name so people talk about him. No one in America knows who he is. No one in Europe knows who he is. Maybe in Britain, maybe. Not even a lot of people in Britain know him."

Khan even takes issue with those who label Brook an up-and-coming star, pointing out that Special K has had more than enough fights to have taken the world by storm by now.

"Fast track? The guy has nearly 28, 29, 30 fights. If you look at his American debut when he fought on the Carl Froch undercard, he had trouble with that guy (Luis Galarza). That guy, if I had fought him, I'd spark him in one round.

"Everything that I've said is the truth. Remember when Ricky Hatton used to get called out by Junior Witter? He's another bum. I mean, these people see me in the UK and I walk past them and they've not even looked up at me, and they all think they're bad when they do interviews about me and stuff.

"I walk past these people, they don't even look at me. I go to their own place, I go to their gym, and I walk past them and they don't say nothing. I swear. The funny thing is, when I went to his hometown, I have everyone in his hometown loving me and more fans come to me and show me respect. I mean, he walks down his own street and he doesn't get called."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.