Kell Brook has vowed to end Amir Khan’s career in Saturday’s grudge match and finally settle their 20-year feud.
Brook and Khan have been bitter rivals since they first met as teenagers on the England amateur set-up.
The former IBF welterweight champ says Khan was cocky and got the red carpet treatment in comparison to him because the amateur chiefs liked his fighting style.
Brook has had to listen to Khan’s putdowns every since and says it will be so sweet when he beats him in their 149lbs catchweight clash to knock him into retirement.
“We’ve known each from when we were 15 years old, all the way through,” said the Sheffield fighter.
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“I remember the first time I met him. There was me, Brian Rose and Amir Khan in the same room.
“I think he was the year below me at school and he had the style the England amateur team liked, that stand-up right style. They didn’t like my unorthodox style, even though I was winning national championships.
“You could see even then he had a bit of a chip on his shoulder, being the governor in his weight. He was a bit lighter than me, he was 60kg, I was 63.5kg.
“It’s all going to get settled after all the talk over all the years of him saying he would beat me. Everyone is going to tune in and see who the winner is and it’s going to be me.
“I’ll be happy that I’ll be the guy to retire him. It will be very satisfying.”
Brook, 35, was unfazed at being booed on Thursday by the fans who gathered at Manchester’s Trafford Centre to watch him and Khan at their pubic work-outs.
He uses it as fuel and is confident he will have plenty of support among the 22,000 sell-out crowd on Saturday at Manchester’s AO Arena.
“Yeah, I got some pantomime booing, but I didn’t make much of it really,” he said.
“I’m the King of the North. I knew it would be hostile and they’re probably hostile because Khan has kept them waiting so long for the fight to happen.
“I’ve had 43 fights before this and I’ve had it all in my career, from fighting Kevin McIntyre in Glasgow at British title level, I’ve had it forever, going to people’s backyard.
“At the end of the day, it’s a northern fight, he’s got his people, I’ve got my people.
“I can beat him 100 per cent and that’s what I’m turning up to do. It’s going to be 100 per cent me. I’m not thinking about him, I’m only thinking about me.”
Brook, who is 39-3-0 from his 18-year pro career, is adamant he won’t have any regrets even if he loses.
He is proud of everything he has done in his career from winning the IBF title against Shawn Porter in America to fighting Gennady Golovkin for the world middleweight crown.
“I’m satisfied with my career,” he said. “I’ve won a world title fight, I’ve fought at middleweight and fought Golovkin. I’ve never had as many people as excited for a fight as this.
“This is a grudge match, a big British showdown, just what I’ve needed in my career.
“No matter if I do want to carry or I don’t, I’m going to enjoy myself.”
