Kell Brook Interview: Part One

Kell's girlfriend congratulates him on a victory

Kell Brook faces the biggest night of his career on Saturday, when he meets tough Argentine Hector Saldivia in a Betfair sponsored final eliminator for an IBF world title shot. We went to Sheffield for an extended chat with Britain's brightest new boxing prospect - here's part one.

Hi Kell. How's it going, and are the nerves kicking in now?

It's going great, thanks. Training has been the best ever, and as for nerves: well, no. I am at that age where fear doesn't come into my fights. I've won 28 out of 28 fights and I don't ever go into a fight thinking I can lose. If I've done the hard training and not cut any corners then I can take on anybody.

Tell us about Saldivia...

It's the first time I've seen him today, and he looks tough. I think he's knocked out 32 people, which is four more than I've had fights. His age makes him seriously experienced, he's a composed fighter with a lot of shots and he never stops coming. I like to go forward to so it should be a great fight for the fans. I have my work cut out but I know I can put him away.

Is that confidence coming from how you've improved your preparation?

Yes, after my last fight I realised I had to go up a level. I've had a proper nutritionist and a conditioning trainer and you can't believe the difference. In the past, in the last few days before a fight, I was eating very little - eating like rabbit food - and drinking not a lot to keep my weight down. But this week I'm eating plenty, drinking well, I am in a nice place. Even my missus has noticed it, she says she can actually tolerate me during this week where normally I'm a nightmare!

At least you won't be wasting energy fighting with her then?

(laughs) No, thankfully, we're all good and I'm feeling really positive.

Talking of fighting other people, you've been dragged into a lot of trash talk with Amir Khan.

Yeah, I think it's just a matter of time with me and him, everyone is banging on about it, and when that fight gets made I want to take care of him, big time. People have asked me if it is a distraction, but I tell you it is an incentive more than anything. I'm totally focused on getting this fight right on Saturday, but then I know if I keep winning then those big fights will come.

You hardly got a word in edgeways when you and Khan were both on Sky's Ringside programme.

Yeah but talk is cheap, at the end of the day. When I get in a ring with him it will be different, I will be landing bombs on his chin.

One thing you did say was "accuracy beats speed".

And with good reason because that is something I definitely work on, the accuracy of my punching. It will just be a matter of time before I land a big punch on him. I'm accurate with my shots, that's part of what my game is based on, and it is a matter of time before you get a big one through. That's the aim for how I'll fight Saldivia. You want to land punches in the right place, regular and often, and if I do that it will break him down. There is no fighter in the world that can survive them landing one after another, it takes it out of anybody.

Your last three fights have all been in the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield like this one. Tell us about the atmosphere there.

It is just immense. The arena is rocking, if you've not been to a boxing event there, then you don't know what you've been missing. The atmosphere is immense, you soak it all up, the bright lights, loud music playing, then I make my ring entrance, you get in there and you are ready to perform. You can tell from my voice I'm passionate about it, I can't wait.

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Make sure you read part two of our Kell Brook interview tomorrow on Betting.Betfair.