Kell Brook returns streamlined and ready for testing Texan Spence Jr

In the Sheffield sunshine Kell Brook responded to the doubts that have loomed large over his title defence against Errol Spence Jr on Saturday in the most emphatic style possible – by showing off his chest. Brook looked ripped at Friday’s weigh-in and when the scales showed him coming in at 146lb 7oz there was no doubting his readiness to again do battle at welterweight.

Brook’s last contest came nine months ago at middleweight and ended with the now 31-year-old suffering the first defeat of his professional career and a broken right eye socket at the brutal hands of Gennady Golovkin. The punishment was so severe Dominic Ingle, Brook’s trainer, felt he had no choice but to throw in the towel with 1min 57sec of the fifth round remaining, later describing the injury as a “car crash”.

It was a chastening fight for Brook but one in which he battled hard, fought well, and showed he can compete at 160lb. Having done so, the sense was that this biggest of welterweights would stay at that level having in the buildup to facing Golovkin expressed his contentment at not having to boil down so much before a fight.

But Brook decided to return to the division where he made his name to defend the IBF world title he won in 2014, and as he squared up to Spence the pain of his preparation, all that training and rejection of food, did not lay itself bare.

Brook looked healthy and in pristine condition, inside the welterweight limit and with his focus shining through before what promises to be another testing examination of his ring craft and resilience.

Spence Jr arrives in England with a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters around at 147lb. The 27-year-old Texan has won all 21 of his contests after having excelled as an amateur, reaching the quarter-finals at the 2012 Olympics and going on to align his skills from those days with a level of vicious accuracy that has seen him stop his seven most recent opponents. He is the mandatory challenger for Brook’s title for a reason and it says a lot when Sugar Ray Leonard is among those who describe the softly-spoken father of two as “the real deal”.

Spence Jr, who weighed in at 146lb 5oz and also looked in excellent condition, will cause Brook problems, particularly given he is a southpaw. For the champion comes the benefit of the most emphatic home advantage possible – a sellout crowd at Bramall Lane, the home of his boyhood football club, Sheffield United, and what is sure to be the scene of fevered and frantic noise; 27,000-plus voices willing the champion to victory from first bell to last.

That, allied to his superior experience and punching power, should be enough to see Brook record a 37th win and fourth as the IBF champion.

On the undercard George Groves will aim to become a world champion for the first time when he faces the Russian Fedor Chudinov for the vacant WBA super-middleweight title. Groves’ previous three title challenges – against Carl Froch, twice, and Badou Jack – ended in defeat, but having won his four bouts since linking up with the trainer Shane McGuigan, the 29-year-old feels confident he can overcome Chudinov, who become a world champion with victory over Felix Sturm in only his 13th fight and arrives in south Yorkshire with a reputation for packing one hell of a punch.