Kell Brook admits he has to move up in weight after confirming he broke his eye socket in Errol Spence Jr defeat
Brook says he can no longer compete at welterweight after losing world title as Gennady Golovkin injury comes back to haunt him
KELL BROOK has admitted for the first time he can no longer compete at welterweight after he lost his world title to Errol Spence Jr.
Brook has this morning confirmed he has suffered a repeat of the broken eye socket he first tasted when he was beaten by Gennady Golovkin last year
He was finally stopped in the 11th round of a gruelling defeat to Spence as double vision and the punishment he was taking took its toll on his body.
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And the Sheffield fighter says he has to move up in weight because it is too hard to trim down and still be able to compete at the highest level at welterweight.
Brook said: “They kept me in hospital till 3am where I had a CT scan on my eye.
“The eye is broken again, the same injury I got against Gennady Golovkin. I need surgery again, and I’m devastated.
“I remember saying the surgeon saying to me if I had gone on another round against Triple G I could have been blinded, I had that going through my mind in the 11th round.
“I ended up thinking I live to fight on another day.
“I think the time is now to move up.
“I have making welterweight since I was a teenager. I am 31 now, I went up to middleweight, put a lot of muscle on it was so hard making weight, coming in to fight young fit guys like Spence, it was very hard.
“I’m still a big guy, I am fit and in great shape, there is no fat left to take off me.
“I need to sit down with the team and see what the best route is.”
Brook insists there is still more left in the tank as he takes a break to stake stock of what his next move will be.
There will be an enforced lay-off as a result of the surgery he is due to have on his eye next week, but he has promised he will be back in the ring in the future.
He added: “I couldn’t leave the sport like I did yesterday, I need to get back in to winning ways and show I have plenty more to give.
“I am so happy and proud I brought Wednesday and United fans together for at least one night.
“I was so proud when I walked out and saw everybody, am just gutted I didn’t get the win.
“I will be back and I will be back a long stronger and better.”