While Amir Khan struggled at times vs. light-hitting Chris Algieri on Spike TV in what was supposed to be a showcase prelude to a pay-per-view fight vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr., fellow British fighter Kell Brook knocked out a second straight opponent in England.
Brook stopped Frankie Gavin in Round 6 of his second IBF welterweight title defense, and continues to call out Khan for an all-England showdown in the 80,000-seat Wembley Stadium. Brook's promoter Eddie Hearn didn't hold back in the post-fight press conference, boldly stating Khan fears big punchers.
"Since Khan boxed Garcia, who has he fought? (Carlos) Molina, (Julio) Diaz, Devon Alexander and Algieri. None of them could take the skin off a rice pudding. They can have the lion's share (of any deal), but they don't even want to entertain the conversation," Hearn said.
Watch Eddie Hearn's frustrated plea to Amir Khan here
Hearn didn't run down Khan's accomplishments in the ring. He called Khan a "brilliant" fighter, and said he believes Khan would be confident against Brook. However, the possibility of the undefeated Brook handing Khan his fourth loss is enough to have them running from the matchup.
"He's just scared to fight Kell, not because he thinks he can't win but because he's scared of the potential of losing and what it could do to his career," Hearn said.
While Algieri is not known as a puncher, he was able to stun Khan more than once. Khan admitted he was caught off guard by Algieri's aggression; in previous fights Algieri chose to move laterally and fight behind a world-class jab.
"Styles make fights and Chris Algieri had a style which was very tough for me to beat," Khan said. "He was very long, very slick at times. We didn't expect him to come forward like he did. We thought he was going to be on the back foot so that way we could start putting pressure on him and breaking him down, but he showed a lot of heart in there and took some good shots and just kept coming back."
Brook does not have the level of opposition on his resume that Khan does, but he's also got a title belt, and an unbeaten record that Khan can't boast of. Facing Brook makes more sense, but Khan vs. Mayweather is more likely.
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