Gennady Golovkin did not hesitate on chance to fight Kell Brook

Gennady Golovkin had no hesitation accepting a fight against Kelly Brook – despite the size disparity between the duo. The 34-year-old Kazakhstani, who is set to face the unbeaten Briton at the O2 Arena in London on 10 September, has revealed he has given little thought to the weight issue in the build-up to the bout.

Golovkin is the current unified WBA (Super), WBC, IBF and IBO middleweight champion, while Brook is stepping up two weight classes from welterweight to make the fight. But Golovkin has revealed he was desperate to face any big-name opponent who was willing to fight him at the middleweight limit of 160lbs, having previously failed to secure a deal with Chris Eubank Jr.

"I told [promoter Tom Loeffler]: 'Look, Tom I'm ready to fight anybody at 160lbs.' He wanted to give me a chance to fight Chris Eubank Jr, but we lost a lot of time with the negotiations," he explained to IBTimes UK at The Dorchester in London. "Eventually, he said about Kell Brook wanting to fight me at 160lbs. I said: 'Tom, you know my style and you know my position.' I want to fight in the UK because I need to fight."

While Golovkin accepts he may have a slight size advantage on fight night, he also acknowledged that some of the biggest names in boxing have previously come unstuck under similar circumstances. "Maybe it's a bit of an advantage for me. I remember a couple of fights, such as when Manny Pacquiao fought against Oscar De La Hoya. Pacquiao had more speed, more energy and [he won by] using different boxing skills."

Golovkin said, too, that he was looking forward to fighting in front of a British crowd for the first time. "I know UK people like boxing and understand the history of boxing," he reflected. "These are good fans. This is my big gift and for me, I am very happy to be here."