So, Kell Brook has been beaten for the first time in his professional career by Gennady Golovkin in their world middleweight title fight.
It was billed as a huge uphill battle before the fight for Brook as he sought to dethrone the man known as 'GGG' - and at a different weight from his preferred welterweight, meeting Golovkin at middleweight.
Triple G is a scary man 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈 Kell looks like he's seen a ghost!!! #GGGBrook
— Michael Conlan (@mickconlan11) September 10, 2016
As the early rounds progressed, however, Brook was putting up a serious challenge.
Brook's check left hook is a thing of beauty
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) September 10, 2016
I've never seen GGG get hit cleanly this many times in any fights and it's only 3 rounds in. #GolovkinBrook
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) September 10, 2016
The fight progressed into the fourth and fifth rounds, with both standing toe to toe and the fight seeming fairly even overall.
What a fight!!! #GGGBrook
— Michael Conlan (@mickconlan11) September 10, 2016
Two two #GGGBrook
— Kevin Byrne (@KevByrneBox) September 10, 2016
But in the fifth round, suddenly, Brook's corner threw in the towel. Brook confessed after the fight that he "couldn't see" - a suspected eye socket injury the cause of his distress.
There was mixed reaction to the decision to throw in the towel..
Has to be the eye. He was still fighting. Dammit.
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) September 10, 2016
I am 100,000,000 percent for fighter safety. But that fight SHOULD NOT have been stopped. #Truth #GGGBrook
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) September 10, 2016
Wow. Kell Brook's corner throws in the towel. That was a preemptive move. GGG was coming, his corner saw bad things about to happen.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) September 10, 2016
Kell, "I expected him to be a bigger puncher, in the second round I think he broke my eye socket" What?? Funny that!! #GGGBrook
— Eric Lilywhite Lightning Donovan (@ericdonovanbox) September 10, 2016
What's with all the boo's from the crowd, think of Brooks health people #GGGBrook @SkySportsNewsHQ
— Kenneth Egan OLY (@kenegan30) September 10, 2016
Brook admitted after the fight that he would have fought on, while his cornerman seemed irritated at the crowd's negative reaction to his call. Golovkin insisted he hadn't been hurt by Brook, but that he respected his opponent for moving up a weight category to fight him.
