By Edward Chaykovsky
IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (35-0, 24KOs) is ready for a breakout year in 2016. He wants to fight the biggest names available.
Next up is Diego Chaves. The fight is going to take place later this year, possibly in December. The fight was originally scheduled for this past Saturday, but Brook picked up a rib injury in camp and withdrew from the bout two weeks ago.
He sees the fight with Chaves as a springboard to the biggest bouts possible in a loaded welterweight division.
"I believe when I am at 100 percent, there is no one who can touch me," Brook told Sky Sports. "Manny Pacquiao, [Danny] Garcia, [Keith] Thurman, [Shawn] Porter, [Timothy] Bradley - all of them are in my sights now. All the elite-level fighters with the massive names and who are great fighters themselves."
Brook also denied the circulating rumors which suggest the boxer withdrew from his recent fight due to weight issues. The Sheffield fighter has faced weight struggles in the past, but denies there were any issues related to weight for this particular fight.
"My weight is not a problem," Brook said. "The fact is, every time I fight I make the weight. People say I am scared, or this is a weight problem, but I have been training for ever. My weight was bang on. I was on all the targets in the gym, so it is a genuine injury."
Brook's promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport, does expect an eventual move to the junior middleweight division.
Hearn wants him to face WBO champion Timothy Bradley or another welterweight beltholder in a major unification next summer. By the end of 2016, it might be time for Brook to explore his options at 154-pounds.
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