THAT’S THE FIGHTING SPIRIT
Ajax boxer Brandon Cook’s high-profile opponent pulled out hurt. The Canadian could wait him out — but what’s the fun in that.
Last week an ankle injury forced former welterweight champ Kell Brook to withdraw from his July 28 bout at London’s O2 Arena against Brandon Cook, and the move presented the Ajax native with a difficult decision.
The 32-year-old Cook could accept a cancellation, wait for Brook to recover, then return to England in November to fight the Sheffield-based star. Or he could fight on July 28 anyway, even if a new opponent would mean changing strategy late in training camp. Cook chose to fight. Next week he’ll take on English contender Sam Eggington, a 24-year-old slugger with a 23-4 record. But Cook says that even with a new opponent, his goals remain the same: win, entertain and propel himself into the 154-pound division’s elite. “He comes forward and throws a lot of punches and doesn’t back up, so I’m pretty sure the fans are going to get what they came to see,” said Cook, who’s 20-1 as a pro. “I’m going to go in there and do what I do best. I’m in great shape right now, so there’s no issue.”
Brook’s withdrawal forces some logistical changes. His showdown with Cook had been scheduled as the co-main event on a card headlined by heavyweight stars Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker. Subbing in Eggington moves Cook’s bout down the undercard, but doesn’t diminish its importance to the fighters involved. Where the Brook bout was contracted for 152 pounds — two below the junior middleweight limit — Cook and Eggington will meet at 158.
Eggington, who fought just three weeks ago, knows short-notice replacements often are expected to lose, but he intends to bulldoze Cook and pressure his way into lucrative bouts with fighters such as Brook.
“There was no way I was turning down this fight when they offered it to me,” Eggington told Sky Sports. “Cook likes to come forward and fight so I’m predicting an exciting scrap. He’s going to try and make it a hard night for me … Moving up to super-welterweight has given me even more energy to grind down my opponents and do damage late and I’ll be looking to do exactly that next week.”
While both contestants expect an action fight, Cook’s camp isn’t convinced Eggington has the pedigree to prevail next Saturday.
When U.K. sports books listed Cook as a 9-to-1 underdog against Brook, the Canadian fighter’s backers understood. Brook has lost just twice in 37 career bouts, both those defeats coming against pound-forpound elite fighters.
Two years ago Brook, then an undefeated welterweight champ, jumped two weight classes to face middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, who stopped him in five rounds. Last spring Brook returned to 147 pounds to face American standout Errol Spence, who prevailed via 11th-round TKO.
Cook’s promoter, Tyler Buxton, describes Brook as an Aplus-level fighter, and points out that Eggington ranks at least a grade lower. At fivefoot-11, Eggington is tall for his weight class, and his resumé includes a win over former twodivision world champ Paulie Malignaggi.
But Buxton says Eggington’s four losses, mostly to fighters less accomplished than Cook, prove the Birmingham native is vulnerable.
“Brook’s fought the best in the world,” Buxton said. “Eggington’s got four losses, and they’re not against guys named Triple-G and Errol Spence Jr. Stylistically, it’s going to be a war.” The announcement of the Brook-Cook fight last month triggered criticism from boxing fans in the U.K., many of whom weren’t familiar with the Cana- dian fighter. A win next Saturday could help Cook solve that problem, introducing him to overseas fans while growing his profile, and possibly his payout, for a prospective Brook fight in November.
But the late-game opponent switch presents dilemmas for both fighters. Eggington, coming off a June 30 win, accepted a bruising bout with Cook even though he also has a bout scheduled for Sept. 8. And Cook, who leaves for England on Sunday night, had to scramble to find tall sparring partners who could mimic Eggington’s style.
He also had to adjust his training schedule. When he learned of Brook’s withdrawal, unsure if he’d be fighting this week, Cook took a short break from his twice-daily workouts and a two-day detour from his highoctane training-camp diet.
“I guess it was good for my body just to relax a bit,” Cook said. “I ate pizza, though. That’s the only sh---y part. But … I really only have to lose six pounds by next Friday.”