Kell Brook and Mark DeLuca lock horns in a high stakes crossroads fight with a belt on the line.
- Brook vs DeLuca goes Saturday, February 8th at 9:00 pm EST
- Can Brook make a triumphant return to the ring after a meaningful period of inactivity?
- Can DeLuca shock the boxing world and take down the former world champion?
Brook vs DeLuca hails from Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK. Both men see this fight as a make or break bout and both have a lot riding on this. The vacant WBO intercontinental super welterweight title is on the line in this prizefight. Brook is the established former world titlist who has taken on some of boxing’s boogeymen for the last few years.
DeLuca is stepping up in a big way and sees this as his biggest opportunity. Will he seize it or does Brook get it done once again in his well-regarded fighting career? Check out the odds for Brook vs Deluca and my sweet science breakdown below.
Brook vs DeLuca Odds
| Fighter | Odds at Bovada |
|---|---|
| Kell Brook | -1600 |
| Mark DeLuca | +800 |
Odds taken Feb. 4th
Brook is making his return to competition after a 14-month layoff. Deluca is someone who has plied their trade on the New England circuit and is now looking to ascend to that next level. He has competed for over a decade largely on club shows but also in sporadic undercard appearances for big events.
Taking on the former welterweight world titlist will be by far the biggest test of Deluca’s career. Brook has indicated he will retire as a pro if he fails to secure the victory here. There are a lot of future implications attached to this fight.
2020 Stanley Cup Odds Tracker
Don’t Call it a Comeback
Brook is riding a two-fight win streak but has a .500 record across his last four fights. Both were stoppage losses where he suffered a broken orbital bone in each outing. But that defeat came against pound for pound caliber world champion fighters who are elite pugilists in their respective weight classes (Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence Jr). Those aforementioned two wins Brook has put together took place in the same venue he’ll be competing in this weekend. He is looking for the proverbial hat trick performance.
There was some initial talks of Brook fighting Amir Khan but as has happened a few times throughout history, that fight failed to come to fruition.
Fight Week 💥🥊#Boxing #Sheffield #AllOfTheLights pic.twitter.com/vjvwERXjrd
— Kell Brook (@SpecialKBrook) February 4, 2020
The belt on the line in this fight is one that Brook is quite familiar with. He held the same WBO hardware back in 2010. Brook vs DeLuca is one of the compelling championship bouts slated to go this weekend. Brook has a lot to lose while conversely, DeLuca has a lot to gain and nothing to lose, really. DeLuca is an especially awkward southpaw and this could cause fits for most top-notch pugilists internationally. But Brook has seen it all and I think he’ll be able to control the pacing of the prizefight.
Brook vs DeLuca Tale of the Tape
| 38-2 | Record | 24-1 |
| 26 | Knockouts | 13 |
| 5’9 | Height | 5’9 |
| 69″ | Reach | 72″ |
| Shawn Porter, Matthew Hatton, Michael Zerafa | Significant Wins | Walter Wright, Brandon Brewer, Matthew Strode |
| Orthodox | Stance | Southpaw |
This bout kind of reads like the script of a Rocky movie with the club circuit-level fighter taking on an internationally renowned champion-caliber fighter. Though Brook has undeniably lost a step in the ring, I still think his wealth of high-level experience coupled with his present skill level is more than enough reason for me to pick him. I think Brook’s confluence of power and precision will ultimately be too much for DeLuca. I see Brook getting it done via TKO inside of six rounds.
Pick: Kell Brook (-1600)
A part-time writer and full-time broadcaster, Dylan has hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, and covered some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage.