KELL’S LAST HAND

Brook set to hang ’ em up as Crawford shows class

FIGHTING PRIDE: Brook goes down swinging and ( inset) congratulates Crawford

KELL BROOK is considering retiring from boxing after his brutal stoppage defeat at the hands of a ruthless Terence Crawford.

The Sheffield star came up short in his bold bid against the WBO welterweight champion and pound- for- pound star.

Brook, 34, started the bout well but a right hand from the unbeaten southpaw sent him crashing into the ropes in the fourth round.

Crawford then went in for the finish and landed a flurry of big shots before referee Tony Weeks halted the bout at the MGM Grand ‘ bubble’ in Las Vegas.

It was the third defeat of Brook’s 42- fight career which started in 2004 and reached its pinnacle when he won the IBF welterweight title in 2014 against Shawn Porter.

However, after surgery to repair two broken orbital bones after his previous losses and now a comprehensive defeat by the unbeaten Crawford, he could now call it a day.

Father- of- three Brook said: “What’s next? I don’t know. I’ll have to speak to my family. It might be the end of the road.”

If it is the end for Brook, he can take comfort in the fact all three of his defeats came against the very elite in the sport – Gennady Golovkin, Errol Spence Jnr and now Crawford, the merciless Omaha fighter who further added to his claim that he is the best boxer on the planet.

But ‘ The Special One’ started well, looked composed and the much bigger man than the three- weight world champion.

Brook’s jab was effective as he put forward a case for winning the first three rounds.

But Crawford, 33, was calm. He knew his chance would come and it did in the fourth.

The switch hitter was in his favoured southpaw stance when Brook over committed and a big right sent him flying.

It was the first punch of real note to land on the Brit. The referee judged it a knockdown as the ropes kept Brook up and he checked him over before allowing the bout to continue.

But it did not last much longer as Crawford went in to finish off a clearly hurt Brook with a flurry of big shots.

“This is boxing, I got caught with a shot I didn’t see,” said Brook, who pocketed around £ 1.5m for the clash. “I always said I would go out on my shield.”

KATIE TAYLOR says she is ready to fight anyone next year.

She easily outboxed Miriam Gutierrez in London on Saturday, earning a points win to move to 17- 0 as a professional and retain her four world lightweight titles.

Irish ace Taylor, 34, said: “I am ready and willing to step in the ring with anyone – 2021 is going to be an even bigger year for me.”