By Ian S Palmer
Undefeated welterweight Kell Brook of England will be taking on Vyacheslav Senchenko of Ukraine in front of his home fans in Sheffield, England on Saturday, October 26 in a 12-round bout. This is a good test for Brook since Senchenko is a solid and tough boxer with power. The bout is being billed as an eliminator for the IBF World Title.
Brook will climb into the ring with a perfect record of 30-0 along with 20 Kos. His last bout came back in July when he beat American Carson Jones in a rematch of their earlier bout. Brook stopped Jones in the eighth round after beating him by a 12-round majority decision a year earlier. Brook turned pro back in 2004 and has beaten the likes of Jones, Matthew Hatton, Philip Kotey, and Lovemore Ndou.
Senchenko will climb up the ring steps with an impressive record of 34-1 along with 23 Kos. He’s got a lot of skill, but is a little long in the tooth now at the age of 36. He fought for Ukraine in the Olympic Games back in 2000 and used to hold the WBA Welterweight Title from April 2009 until April of 2012 when he was stopped on cuts by Paulie Malignaggi of America in the ninth round. Senchenko is also known for ending the career of Briton Ricky Hatton when he stopped the Englishman in the ninth round of his comeback bout in 2011.
When Senchenko’s at his best, he’s pretty hard to beat. However, he’s looked his advanced age a couple of times lately, especially against Paulie Malignaggi. He’s got quick hands and good power and should be a tough test for Brook. Senchenko needs to be the aggressor to try to keep Brook off balance. The Ukrainian stopped Hatton in England and won’t be intimidated by the pro-Brook crowd. He’s also trained by hall of famer Freddie Roach.
Brook’s only 27 years old and is looking for a shot at a world title while Senchenko’s anxious to win a belt for a second time. There should be a lot of motivation here for both boxers and it could be an entertaining bout. Brook probably has more overall skills, but should be wary about trying to slug it out with Senchenko as it could be a huge mistake.
Prediction
This is another in a long line of tough fights to call this year. Brook is a good prospect, but hasn’t really been tested by the world’s best as of yet. Senchenko has power and the experience to cause an upset in Brook’s homeland. If he was the same age as Brook he’d probably be the favourite, but since he’s getting on in years the oddsmakers have the Englishman playing that role. Still, Senchenko may have one good fight left in him and this could be it. Look for him to hand Brook his first loss by late stoppage or a close decision.
