IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook has given fellow Brit James DeGale some advice ahead of his super-middleweight title shot in Boston this weekend.
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Brook won his belt after defeating Shawn Porter in California last August, although there were many who doubted that he could get a points victory on American soil against a ‘hometown’ fighter.
However, the welterweight star proved them wrong and picked up the win on the scorecards and he believes that mind-set is key to DeGale overcoming the odds and winning the belt in Boston.
Naturally, there are several Brits who have fought for world titles abroad and have been left frustrated by what they perceived to be home favouritism, but Brook is confident that DeGale has what it takes to come back with the title in his hands.
“You know that you can fight and you believe in yourself,” Brook told Sky Sports.
“It’s in America, but if the fight was on the moon you’d still think you would go there and win. It’s a mind-set.
“Knowing James, he will agree with that. He won an Olympic gold medal in a different country so he travels well. He knows he can fight, and he’s very confident about that.”
Brook produced an impressive performance against the unbeaten Porter to become a world champion, and he admits that he remained tunnel-visioned throughout his trip to the West coast and treated it as if it was the “world against me and my team”.
While he believes that DeGale will have to adopt the same tactics, it shouldn’t be too much to faze ‘Chunky’ as he has remained confident since the fight was announced that he would make history.
Should he win on Saturday night, the 29-year-old will become the first British Olympic gold medallist to become a world champion in the professional ranks.
He has insisted that it is his destiny to become a world champion, but it will be up to him on Saturday to leave no doubt in the minds of the judges if the fight goes the distance.
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