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Sport

27th May 2017

Kell Brook takes a knee after his eye is left almost completely closed

Brook lost to Spence in the 11th round of their bout at Bramall Lane

Robert Redmond

This wasn’t part of the script.

Kell Brook lost his IBF welterweight championship bout to Errol Spence Jr in his hometown on Saturday night.

Brook was favourite for the fight and was expected to find a way past the American at Bramall Lane in Sheffield.

But the 31-year-old, who has been IBF champion since 2014, succumbed to the second defeat of his career. Despite suffering what appeared to a serious injury to his left eye, Brook bravely attempted to fight on.

However, Brook was caught with a series of shots in the tenth round…

And was stopped in the next round, after succumbing to what could be a serious eye injury.

Brook’s eye was swollen and almost completely closed when he took a knee in the penultimate round.

The referee stepped in and put a stop to the fight, with the Sheffield fighter in obvious pain in front of his hometown crowd.

Following the fight, Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn said he could be facing eye surgery again.

Brook underwent surgery on his right eye socket after his defeat to Gennady Golovkin last September.