Boxing promoter Ben Shalom has revealed why Kell Brook changed his gloves prior to defeaitng Amir Khan last weekend.
Brook, 35, was seen swapping his mitts after walking from his Manchester dressing room shortly before their highly-anticipated fight started.
The Sheffield-born star won by sixth-round TKO on Saturday night at the AO Arena in Manchester.
It was revealed that a contractual dispute was behind Brook’s change of gloves, which meant himself nor Khan were allowed to wear gloves containing horse hair, which are typically used by boxers with greater punching power.
“I wasn’t lying when I said throughout the promotion about the animosity between these two fighters”, Shalom said.
“There were suggestions it was pantomime, but it showed on the night it wasn’t. There was a contract in place that Amir Khan requested there was no horse hair in the gloves.
“Horse hair, unbeknown to me, my team and even some members of the board, is in 90 per cent of gloves.
“It was in 100 per cent of gloves 20 or 30 years ago. It got to the night. They passed the gloves on Friday night and everything went.
“We opened a pair of gloves very similar to what Kell had and horse hair was found in them and it absolutely kicked off. Amir nearly left the venue. Dominic Ingle told me he knew what he was doing all along, and refused to change the gloves.
“Eventually, at the 11th hour, Kell agreed to change his gloves in the ring, which you saw. I missed the whole of the Natasha Jonas fight as I was running from changing room to changing room.
“We had everyone in the back, the British Boxing Board of Control, Adam Smith had to leave his commentary desk. It was just drama. It was 50/50 as to whether that fight would happen.
“They were both convinced they weren’t going to go out. Amir was not going to go out unless Kell changed his gloves.
“In the end, credit to Kell as he changed his gloves and it didn’t really make a difference.”
https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1...er-ben-shalom/
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