BoxRec

Kell Brook offered shock comeback fight after three-year layoff

Kell Brook could be set for a return to the fight game over three years on from beating Amir Khan

Former world champion Kell Brook has been offered a shock return to the ring.

Brook, 39, has not fought since stopping Amir Khan in the sixth round of their grudge match in February 2022.

But he could be set to make a comeback after his long-term trainer Dominic Ingle revealed he has been presented with the opportunity to move into bare-knuckle boxing.

Ingle told Boxing King Media: “He’s been offered money to be in the bare-knuckle boxing.

“Frankie Gavin has done it, Liam Williams might be doing it, James DeGale (is doing it].”

Brook may be tempted by a return to the ring, but Gavin’s bare-knuckle debut in June showed how dangerous the sport can be.

Ex-amateur world champion Gavin, who challenged Brook for his welterweight world title in 2015, was stopped inside a minute by Jack Dugdale on his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut.

Meanwhile, Olympic gold medallist and former world champion DeGale is due to make his own bare-knuckle bow against Australia’s Matt Floyd on September 27.

DeGale was last seen losing to Chris Eubank Jr back in February 2019 and announced his retirement from boxing shortly afterwards.

Brook held the IBF welterweight belt between 2014 and 2017 after ripping the title away from American star Shawn Porter.

He made three successful defences against Jo Jo Dan, Gavin and Kevin Bizier before jumping up to middleweight to challenge Gennady Golovkin.

Brook fell short against the Kazakh knockout artist and then lost his title to Errol Spence when he returned to 147lbs.

Kelly ain't no cobbles man is he?

he needs to stay the f away from Bare knuckle.

he's had both his eye sockets done.

It won't happen. One Boxing King interview with Ingle generates loads of bullshit articles. They're usually just throwaway comments.

I bet every ex-pro has been “offered” to do bare-knuckle, not sure what the point of this article is?

Boxerbeetle wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 06:49 I bet every ex-pro has been “offered” to do bare-knuckle, not sure what the point of this article is?

None. It's just spam.

forcefraser wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 05:36 Kelly ain't no cobbles man is he?

He's no feather duster man

Maybe needs to fight to put his kids through private education.

Nightmare Roy wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 10:05

forcefraser wrote: ↑03 Sep 2025, 05:36 Kelly ain't no cobbles man is he?

He's no feather duster man

He's no duster, true, but he ain't a true cobbles man like BJS

I know his eye sockets were busted up twice, but against Spence he sat out the count. Jacked.

No cobbles man would ever jack, he'd rather die. Get carried out the ring brudda

Kell Brook wasted his career. 40 wins, only one good name in there--Porter. Instead he wasted time fighting Donut Dan and Frankie Gavin.

tigermoth87 wrote: ↑04 Sep 2025, 09:04 Kell Brook wasted his career. 40 wins, only one good name in there--Porter. Instead he wasted time fighting Donut Dan and Frankie Gavin.

Absolutely. One of the most padded records of a supposedly elite fighter.

Razor thin Porter victory, Senchenko and Matty Hatton? Top 3 wins?

forcefraser wrote: ↑04 Sep 2025, 09:53

tigermoth87 wrote: ↑04 Sep 2025, 09:04 Kell Brook wasted his career. 40 wins, only one good name in there--Porter. Instead he wasted time fighting Donut Dan and Frankie Gavin.

Absolutely. One of the most padded records of a supposedly elite fighter.

Razor thin Porter victory, Senchenko and Matty Hatton? Top 3 wins?

Who ranks him as elite?

I wouldn't say wasted his career, he took the big fights, GGG (35-0), Spence (21-0) and Crawford (36-0) and came unstuck.
Going in to BKB would be a mistake.

Controversial wrote: ↑04 Sep 2025, 10:04 I wouldn't say wasted his career, he took the big fights, GGG (35-0), Spence (21-0) and Crawford (36-0) and came unstuck.
Going in to BKB would be a mistake.

by time he fought Bud, he was finished.

He went for a cheque.

I always wonder, what if, he just fought Vargas in a unification fight..

what would he have done then? he probably would have lost the belts to Spence anyway, cus that was his next mandatory anyway.

BKFC will be happy with the free publicity whether Kell fights for them or not.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑04 Sep 2025, 10:24

Controversial wrote: ↑04 Sep 2025, 10:04 I wouldn't say wasted his career, he took the big fights, GGG (35-0), Spence (21-0) and Crawford (36-0) and came unstuck.
Going in to BKB would be a mistake.

by time he fought Bud, he was finished.

He went for a cheque.

Don’t blame him, they are a long time retired

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑04 Sep 2025, 10:24

Controversial wrote: ↑04 Sep 2025, 10:04 I wouldn't say wasted his career, he took the big fights, GGG (35-0), Spence (21-0) and Crawford (36-0) and came unstuck.
Going in to BKB would be a mistake.

by time he fought Bud, he was finished.

He went for a cheque.

I always wonder, what if, he just fought Vargas in a unification fight..

what would he have done then? he probably would have lost the belts to Spence anyway, cus that was his next mandatory anyway.

If he didn't move up to fight GGG he wouldn't have lost to Spence

Switch hitter wrote: ↑05 Sep 2025, 08:20 If he didn't move up to fight GGG he wouldn't have lost to Spence

you think?

how would he have won?

stoppage? decision?

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑05 Sep 2025, 09:17

Switch hitter wrote: ↑05 Sep 2025, 08:20 If he didn't move up to fight GGG he wouldn't have lost to Spence

you think?

how would he have won?

stoppage? decision?

Points I think close but would have won.
Too much going up then down in weight. It killed him going back down to 147 ....

Switch hitter wrote: ↑05 Sep 2025, 14:30

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑05 Sep 2025, 09:17

Switch hitter wrote: ↑05 Sep 2025, 08:20 If he didn't move up to fight GGG he wouldn't have lost to Spence

you think?

how would he have won?

stoppage? decision?

Points I think close but would have won.
Too much going up then down in weight. It killed him going back down to 147 ....

He did look very good in the early rounds. Was showing spence a few things he hadnt seen before. But Spence was always investing in the body. I would have loved to seen it pre ggg, so there was no doubt.

Kells resume should have been better, but i do think a lot was down to circumstance. Winning the IBF ended up a bit of a curse with their pathetic rankings. In his prime, 2013/2014, floyd and pac were starting decline, and he'd have given bradley and thurman a good fight, real 50/50s. He'd have been competive with any WW then.