Steel yourselves for biggest test of your lives, lads

IT is a seminal moment for Kell Brook and George Groves. Neither can afford to get it wrong in the Steel City tonight.

The question for Brook, who faces Errol Spence, is how much he has left after the punishing defeat by Gennady Golovkin. He’s the wrong side of 30. That wouldn’t matter so much if he were not boiling himself down to make the weight for the clash. Groves, who takes on rugged Fedor Chudinov, is attempting to emulate Frank Bruno in winning a world title after three failed attempts. History tells us not many do that, and it is hard to see where he would go after a fourth failure. Making weight is so draining. I can’t tell you the effort required to take those last few pounds off. And it’s not just hitting the mark at the weigh-in. Brook has to hit the number on the morning of the fight, too. On the plus side it is a huge advantage to fight at home in Sheffield. He won’t want to lose and this will give him something extra in a battle. Spence is a young guy. Nothing he has experienced will have prepared him for what he will face at Bramall Lane. It’s not just the hostility of the home crowd, it’s the unfamiliarity, negotiating a strange environment, eating different food. It can be unsettling. And can the American, 4-7 favourite with bookies, take a shot? Brook is unorthodox and he will find him. Brook’s best chance is to get him out of there early. He will be looking to hurt him in the first couple of rounds and apply heavy pressure. Spence likes to get his man, too – he’s a real seek-and-destroy merchant. That’s what makes this an exciting fight. He is a brutal puncher with long arms, maybe two inches longer than his height. He hits on the end of his shots, aiming at a spot 18 inches behind your head and punches right through you. He is no Ray Leonard, and he is certainly no Sugar Ray Robinson, but I have a feeling this kid could go on to be one of the best welterweights in the history of American boxing. That’s some claim but if he fulfils his potential he will be some fighter. Groves (left) is in phenomenal shape, which is just as well. Chudinov walks forward, has decent power, and digests punishment with ease. Groves must get him on the end of that rapier jab and outbox him from middle to long distance. The key is to not let Chudinov crowd him. If all goes to plan I can see him winning by late stoppage.

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