*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
I think so many people had given up on seeing the massive “King-of-the-North” grudge match between former world champions Amir Khan and Kell Brook that now it feels like receiving a Christmas pressie in, well, February.
And to celebrate the event Paddy has decided to dish out the gifts in terms of great prices in basically every market. Let’s get down to business with three of the best for the Manchester bout.
WELCOME TO PADDY POWER NEWS
The latest boxing odds are on PaddyPower.com right nowAmir Khan v Kell Brook
Saturday, February 19 – from 10.30pm
Sky Sports Box Office
When Will The Fight End? Round 4-6
Yes, these two great Brits aren’t in their prime any more but fragile jaws and bad blood makes this fight just as exciting as ever. Both men are so intently focused on putting their rival away for good that it will bring out the absolute best in what they have left this weekend in the Manchester Arena.
The careers of Khan and Brook have dovetailed since a sparring session when they were teenagers. Bolton’s golden child won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics aged just 17 and he has been headlining events ever since, while the Sheffield slugger has worked his way up from small hall shows to top-of-the-bill in Vegas. Now, past it’s “best-by” date but still appetising, they finally get it on.
Khan, 35, hasn’t fought for about two-and-a-half years and in his last five fights he’s been sparked out twice in round six, won twice with early KOs and scored one victory on points. The former lightweight still has the accelerated hand speed but his resistance and defensive reflexes look to be at all-time lows.
In the last five years Brook, also 35, has won twice early and once on points but he’s been stopped three times – elite boxers Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence punched holes in Kell’s orbital bones and got victories via injury but his last defeat, just over a year ago to Terence Crawford, was a worrying collapse in the fourth round.
The contest this Saturday has been contracted at 149-pounds and there’s a strict rehydration weight clause that’s definitely going to hurt the bulky Brook who hasn’t always “lived the life”. But the playing field is levelled by Khan’s inactivity and his porcelain-like chin – I’m getting splinters from sitting on this fence.
The safe bet is that this scrap is not going the full scheduled 12 rounds, but I want to be a touch braver than that and say that it will be concluded in rounds 4-6 – I’m just not super confident by whom.
- LIKE PADDY POWER NEWS? OR MAYBE YOU JUST LIKE TO WHINGE? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK IN OUR READER SURVEY
Kell Brook to be knocked down in Rounds 1-3
For any Amir-haters out there or anyone who has bought-in to the “Khan-dashian” celebrity personality, don’t be fooled, this is a tough fighting man who didn’t avoid Kell because he was scared, he just had better options at the time.
As Kell has attested too, Khan’s hand speed is absolutely blurring in the first few exchanges of any contest. Even in his recent bouts, the Bolton boxer has dropped the likes of Samuel Vargas and Billy Dib in the early sessions and he stopped Phil Lo Greco in round 1 in 2018.
There are tons of great bets in the #WhatOddsPaddy area and I really like the look of the price for both fighters to be knocked down, but the outstanding odds in my opinion are for an early Khan onslaught and Brook to find himself on the canvas in rounds 1-3.
- ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: Amir Khan v Kell Brook date, fight time, undercard, purse, weigh-in and odds
Kell Brook to be knocked down & Kell Brook to win by KO/TKO
This is where it gets tricky – could Khan force the stoppage if he follows up an early assault on Brook or can Kell catch Amir when he’s unloading?
“King Khan” was last world champion way back in 2011 and even then it was at 140-pounds – the superstar Olympian has never been a titleholder at welterweight or above. He’s also only ever stopped two opponents above the super lightweight limit and, although they were recent, they weren’t nearly in the same class as Kell.
On the other side of the ring, “Special K” has only ever been stopped by heavy-handed mercenaries at the very top of their game – and two of those were eye injuries rather than classic KOs. Amir has had his clock cleaned four times to the point where pundits and fans alike have called for him to retire. Of his last 11 wins, Brook has won inside the distance nine times and as he likes to say: Khan’s weakness is his “whiskers”.
Another favourite phrase in boxing parlance is that “timing beats speed” and I have a feeling that Kell can recover from some early adversity to time his British rival and land the blows to win the fight.
Kell Brook v Amir Kahn tips
When Will The Fight End? Round 4-6
Kell Brook to be knocked down in Rounds 1-3
Kell Brook to be knocked down & Kell Brook to win by KO/TKO
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
READ MORE
The Paddy Power Guide To Safer Gambling – Everything You Need To Know
