Brook tells Khan: It is now or never for our big fight

Promoter Eddie Hearn remains hopeful that Amir Khan can be tempted into a lucrative fight with Kell Brook following the Sheffield fighter’s laboured victory over Australian Michael Zerafa in his home town on Saturday night.

A high-profile contest between British rivals, and former world champions, Brook and Khan has been an on-off saga for over three years. The fight appeared close to being signed for early next year, but Khan revealed last week that he has an offer from American Terence Crawford, the World Boxing Organisation welterweight champion.

According to reports, Khan has been offered a purse of $5million (£3.9million) to fight Crawford in the United States.

Brook, having spent the build-up to Saturday’s fight taunting Khan over what he claimed was the Bolton man’s reluctance to fight him, produced a display which would hardly have had his compatriot running scared. He looked far from convincing before recording a unanimous points victory.

Brook was too good for Zerafa, yet he was hit by too many punches in claiming the final eliminator for the WBA super-welterweight world title. It puts Brook in line, if the Khan fight fails to materialise, to face American Jarrett Hurd.

Brook admitted after the fight, his first since March, that he had felt “rusty” and “flat”, before again turning his attention to Khan. “I’ve got the buzz again, I’m reborn,” he said. “Next year I’m coming for the big boys. It’s now or never. Amir, I’m ready, I’m hungry, I’m fit.”

Hearn added: “If I was Amir Khan, I would be on the phone now to take this fight.”