Kell Brook

2011 could be a life-changing year for the undefeated British and WBO Inter-Continental champion Kell Brook.

The Sheffield star signed for Matchroom Sport in April and is aiming to fight for a world title before the end of the year. Brook’s first outing in 2011 will be in June and on home soil in the Steel City as he aims to take his winning streak to 24 fights.

The 24 year-old’s road to the top began in September 2004, when he won his first professional fight at 18 years of age against Peter Buckley at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield. Brook’s next three fights were a sign of things to come as he removed Andy Cosnett and Brian Coleman inside the opening round and Leeroy Williamson in the second.

A year after turning pro he earned his ninth straight victory with a points triumph over Ernie Smith and repeated the feat in a rematch in April 2006 to go 10-0.

Brook continued to make short work of anyone he faced with five of his next six wins coming inside the distance and with 16 wins to his name he earned his first title shot. Barrie Jones was the opponent at York Hall for the vacant British Welterweight title and Brook claimed the belt with a seventh round stoppage of the Welshman in June 2008 – which remains the longest time he’s been in the ring in his pro career.

With his star rising, Brook seized his chance to shine in the public eye and made the most of his new high profile with some devastating defences of his new crown.

First on Kell's hitlist was Scotsman Kevin McIntyre, who vacated the belt earlier in the year. McIntyre promised revenge and had a fevered home crowd behind him in Glasgow but Brook silenced them and any doubters with a stunning display as he floored the Scotsman three times inside the first round to retain the belt.

Next up for Brook was Stuart Elwell at York Hall in January 2009 and it was another clinical display as Elwell took two standing counts in the first before being stopped in the second. The M.E.N Arena in Manchester was the venue for Brook’s third defence and he ended the challenge of Michael Lomax in the third round – blasting out the Prizefighter Welterweight’s champion to claim the Lonsdale belt outright. In September 2009, Brook was named as the Young British Boxer of the Year by the Boxing Writer's Club, pipping Nathan Cleverly to the honour previously awarded to Barry McGuigan, Nigel Benn, Prince Naseem Hamed, Joe Calzaghe and Amir Khan.

In March 2010 Brook moved closer to a World title by taking the WBO Inter-Continental title, from Krzysztof Bienias at the ECHO Arena in Liverpool. Bienias proved a tough character for Brook to break down in the opening rounds but the Sheffield man punished the champion in the third, fourth and fifth rounds and finished the job in the sixth.

A highly anticipated British dust-up with Michael Jennings eventually happened in September after earlier postponements. Brook was in control throughout and at the start of the fifth he continued to unload on Jennings and opened a bad cut above Jennings' right eye, which forced the referee to stop the fight.

Kell's last outing before joining Matchroom Sport came against Ghanaian Philip Kotey and defended his WBO belt for the third time with an early second round stoppage after downing Kotey at the end of the first round, confirming his place as the WBO’s number one Welterweight.