Brook v Golovkin: Kell Brook will be in the best shape of his life when he collides with fearsome Gennady Golovkin on Saturday
KELL BROOK will be in the best shape of his life when he collides with Gennady Golovkin tomorrow — and that is a fact.
Brook, 30, has been widely written off due to Golovkin’s fearsome record of 32 knockouts from 35 wins.
But the Sheffield star’s team have left no stone unturned as he bids to upset the odds and rip the WBC and IBF titles from the unbeaten middleweight monster’s grasp.
Trainer Dominic Ingle has sharpened Brook’s ringcraft, while strength and conditioning coach Danny Wilson has helped ensure he is peaking physically.
The IBF welterweight champ, who is jumping two divisions from 147lb to 160lb for the O2 Arena showdown, said: “Everyone’s going on that I’m a small guy coming up but that’s not the case.
“I’ve never trained the way I have for this fight and have pushed myself through every session.
“The calories, the fuel, it’s all been about coming in at my natural weight. I believe it’s written in the stars that this is my time.
“I’m not taking ridiculous amounts of weight off like normal.
“I’ve actually had to come down to make 160lb but it’s better than coming down another stone to make 147lb.
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“The energy in my body is great and I’m looking forward to testing the power and speed as a fully-fledged bigger guy. This is going to be the biggest upset ever.”
Brook is no slouch in the knockout department himself, chalking up 25 KOs on the way to racking up a 36-fight unbeaten record.
And Ingle added: “When people see the shape he’s in, all the talk of a small guy fighting a bigger one is out the window.
“Everything has been calculated, no stone has been left unturned. You can’t take chances with a guy like Golovkin.”
So just how has Brook added the extra speed and power required to test boxing’s pound-for-pound king?
Wilson, co-founder of Boxing Science, a team of sport science experts from Sheffield Hallam University, revealed: “We wanted him to take his strength but also his speed up to middleweight.
“Velocity-based training ensured he made gains in strength, speed and explosiveness but also kept him fresh. When he steps on to the scales, he’s going to look in such good condition and shape. He’s definitely fitter than ever.
“Training sessions were short and sharp, two to three times a day.
“But we knew the quality was going to be there whether it was strength and conditioning, running or technical work with Dom.
“His running sessions were normally half-hour and strength and conditioning sessions an hour.
“We monitored his day-to-day wellness, running speed, running volume, the amount of rounds he sparred, the heart rate he hits during his pad work, everything.
“Knowing how much he did on a daily and weekly basis, we could push him or hold him back to ensure optimum results and reduce the likelihood of overtraining.”