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Jessie Vargas in negotiations for April 6 welterweight fight against Kell Brook on DAZN

Jessie Vargas. Photo credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA
Fighters Network
18
Jan

Jessie Vargas is in talks to fight Kell Brook on April 6 in the United States, the former two-division champion told The Ring.

Vargas said two locations are being discussed for a fight that would headline a DAZN show: Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Brook was hoping to fight Amir Khan this spring in a massive British fight, but he’s headed toward an April 20 fight with Terence Crawford.

Brook’s last two fights took place at junior middleweight, but he weighed just 150 pounds for his December victory over Michael Zerafa. Vargas, who competes as a welterweight, said the proposed matchup would likely be contested at the 147-pound limit.

Vargas (28-2-2, 10 knockouts) and Brook actually were slated to meet in August or September 2016. At the time, both fighters held welterweight titles. The unification matchup, which was planned for Bramall Lane in Brook’s hometown of Sheffield, England, fell apart at the 11th hour.



Both Vargas and Brook (38-2, 26 KOs) instead went on to take place in even bigger fights that fall. Vargas faced off against future hall of famer Manny Pacquiao; he was outpointed. Brook, 32, jumped two weight classes to middleweight and knocked out by then-champion Gennady Golovkin in Round 5, suffering a fractured right orbital bone in the process.

Brook’s left orbital bone was fractured in his following bout, a welterweight title fight against Errol Spence Jr. The 32-year-old hasn’t scored a meaningful victory since his 2014 decision victory over Shawn Porter that netted him a welterweight title.

Vargas is coming off consecutive draws in 2018. The 29-year-old from Las Vegas fought Adrien Broner in April and then Thomas Dulorme in October.

Perhaps this time, Vargas and Brook will get the deal done.

Mike Coppinger is the Senior Writer for RingTV.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger

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