Kell Brook loses to Gennady Golovkin after his corner throw in the towel in fifth round
The issue seemed to be with Brook's right eye, that he had been complaining about for a number of rounds
KELL BROOK’S audacious attempt to topple Gennady Golovkin ended in the fifth round when his corner threw in the towel.
The IBF welterweight champ had climbed two divisions to tackle the undefeated knockout artist in front of a sold-out crowd at London’s O2 Arena.
But his own 36-fight unbeaten streak came to an end when Golovkin poured on the pressure to retain his WBC and IBF middleweight titles.
With Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic among the stars at ringside, the opening round saw Golovkin on the march and Brook had to dig in after some punishing blows.
The underdog's legs buckled slightly but he steadied the ship and fired back, much to the delight of his supporters who roared for every punch he landed.
Golovkin, 34, looked to swarm his man early in the second, only for Brook to stand his ground once again before getting on his bike.
As expected, the Kazakh cut off the ring masterfully yet Brook kept moving and looked to use his jab to keep out of trouble before jolting Golovkin's head with a right uppercut.
Chants of "There's only one Kell Brook" echoed around the arena as the Brit ended the round strongly and Golovkin was left with blood coming from his nose.
Round three saw Brook, 30, hit the canvas but ref Marlon Wright ruled it was a slip and not a knockdown.
Golovkin continued to march forward and Brook appeared to have a problem with his right eye, which he dabbed at with his glove.
The eye marked up as the round went on yet Brook enjoyed more success as he was beckoned forward, before Golovkin landed after the bell.
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Brook was certainly in a war but he showed no sign of relenting in the fourth round despite his eye beginning to swell even more.
Golovkin clubbed him with a big right-hand lead and was tagged himself in response as the fight broke into a bit of a shootout.
Brook was pinned against the ropes early in the fifth and once again circled to his left before catching his opponent with a couple of rights.
But Golovkin was relentless and trainer Dominic Ingle jumped up on the ring apron to save his man from more punishment.
Brook, who was greeted by a rapturous reception, went into the contest full of confidence and in the best shape of his life.
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He claimed the thought of facing Golovkin held no fear for him having stared death in the face during an unprovoked machete attack in Tenerife in September 2014.
But the Brit’s unwavering courage did little to tip the odds in his favour, largely because of Golovkin’s impressive record of 32 knockouts from 35 victories.
Even so, Brook had vowed to shock the world and write his name into the history books with one of boxing’s biggest — and most unlikely — victories.
He weighed in slightly heavier than the fearsome puncher on Friday and took heart from the fact Golovkin was not his usual self during the build-up to the big fight.
The Kazakh had cut short his press conference appearance just 24 hours earlier, claiming he was unwell, and his familiar smile was missing when he stepped on the scales.
After the weigh-in, trainer Abel Sanchez suggested Golovkin simply wanted to let Brook enjoy his moment in the spotlight on home soil.
Some pundits claimed his serious demeanour meant he was already in fight mode, while it was even suggested he was irritated by the traffic in London.
Clearly saddened by what had happened, Brook appeared to accept his corners decision because of his eye injury
Either way, the smile returned by his pre-fight interview and Triple G emerged from the dressing room primed to let his powerful fists fly.
The heavy-hitter stalked his prey and unloaded his thudding punches seemingly at will.
Brook, having moved up from 147lb to 160lb for this challenge, absorbed the blows yet you feared it was only a matter of time before they wore him down.
He had been urged to keep moving and stay out of trouble but Golovkin’s skill at cutting down the ring made that a challenge in itself.
And the inevitable happened when the title-holder moved in for the kill, sensing Brook was there for the taking.
