Kell Brook to defend against Diego Chaves on October 24
Kell Brook (35-0, 24 KOs) will make the third defence of his IBF welterweight title against Diego Chaves (23-2-1, 19 KOs) on October 24 at the Motorpoint Arena in his hometown of Sheffield.
Brook, 29, stopped Jo Jo Dan in March and Frankie Gavin in May to retain the title he took from Shawn Porter just over a year ago. Next he faces Argentine brawler Chaves, who has a good chin and can bang.
Chaves, 29, is 1-2-1 in his last four bouts, but those defeats have come against the top fighters in the division - he was knocked out in the 10th round by Keith Thurman in July 2013 and lost via a disputed disqualification against Brandon Rios in August 2014, and the draw was with Timothy Bradley last December, although many had Bradley winning.
"I'm so excited about boxing in my hometown of Sheffield again, said Brook.
"Chaves is a rough, tough, durable fighter who is very dangerous. He's bringing something new to the table. He's coming off a draw to Tim Bradley, was ahead on the cards against Brandon Rios until he was disqualified and gave Keith Thurman a solid fight, so we know what level he has mixed at and how good he is.
"This will be my third defence in seven months but a busy fighter is a happy fighter and I'm very happy at the moment. I'm looking forward to the next challenge and I'm feeling sharp after my break."
Chaves said: "We know Brook is a tough fighter, very technical. He's not a fast fighter. He is easily bothered by body punches, and that is one of our strengths.
"We're going to test his punching power too, because the opponents he chose have not been such great punchers as the ones I have faced lately.
"I feel that my confidence grows with this challenge, knowing that I will have to face a champion like Kell Brook in his home country in England. We know all the bad blood that exists between Argentina and England, and this will give me much more strength. I will be making history if I defeat an Englishman in his own country."
Brook added: "I've seen some of Chaves' quotes and it's interesting to see he thinks he can walk me down and overrun me. I don't think some fighters realise how big I am and how sharp and accurate I punch and I'm looking to make a major statement against him. If he does what he promises it's going to be one hell of a fight."