Brook took two steps up in weight to face Goloivkin at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds in a hurriedly arranged fight after some of Golovkin’s challengers including Canelo Alvarez opted to face easier fights.
For jumping to 160 pounds from the welterweight limit of 147, Brook paid the price as he got battered by Golovkin to submission in the fifth round of their title fight.
After the fight Golovkins was reported to have said that it was clear to him that Brook does not belong to the 160 pounds middleweight limit.
While Brook said he was comfortable at 160, boxing insiders say he took the fight for the money. It was reportedly Brook’s most lucrative fight in his career.
Brook did well in the opening as well as the early rounds but Golovkin landed a big one that damaged Brook’s eyes in the second round as the British champ admitted that he had difficulty in figuring out where Golovkin was in the late rounds.
Despite his blurred eyes, Brook said his corner should have allowed him to continue as he was getting more and more confident. But his corner man/trainer saw differently.
“Absolutely, a fight of this magnitude should’ve carried on,” Brook said on the telecast. “I wanted to carry on. Knock me out.
“I’m frustrated. I had more to give. I believe I would’ve took over. I was getting more and more confident,” he added.
Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez believes Brook’s corner did the right thing when they threw the towel to accept defeat.
“The corner did the right thing. He was taking too many clean shots and I think something’s wrong with the right eye, those heavy hands could’ve hurt him permanently,” Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez said. “Getting hit with too many clean shots is dangerous. We knew over time we’d break him down,” he added.
Brook was brought to the hospital after the fight and was discovered to have suffered a fractured orbital bone that required surgery.
With the win, Golovkin continues his unbeaten streak of 36 wins since turning pro in 2006 while Brook dropped to 36=1.
