KELL BROOK-MICHAEL ZERAFA SET FOR DECEMBER 8 IN SHEFFIELD

Former IBF welterweight titleholder Kell Brook will return against Australian contender Michael Zerafa at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England, on Dec. 8.

Brook, who is rated No. 8 by The Ring at 154 pounds, last saw action in March when he halted former European champion Sergey Rabchenko in two rounds at the same venue.

“I’m delighted to be back at Sheffield Arena in front of my people,” said Brook (37-2, 26 knockouts). ”I want to close the year in special fashion and set up some blockbuster fights in 2019. I was ringside for Amir Khan’s last fight, so let’s see if he’ll be there on December 8, or will he be too shook for Brook?

“This is the biggest opportunity of Zerafa’s career, but there’s levels in this game and I need to put him away to get the big fights that I desire.”

The 26-year-old Zerafa (25-2, 14 KOs) is a former Commonwealth junior middleweight champion. Both of the Melbourne-based contender’s defeats have come at 160 pounds; by 12-round decision to Arif Magomedov and by fifth-round knockout to Peter Quillin.

“I thrive from being the underdog and I believe that Kell Brook’s team have made the mistake of overlooking me” said Zerafa. “I’m a completely different fighter to the man that lost to Peter Quillin and I will prove that.

“Kell is a true warrior and a great champion, but he’s been in some tough fights and put a lot of miles on the clock. He’s been in there with the best, but I believe I belong in the same ring as those fighters. There will be a huge upset and I will make a lot of people eat their words.”

With coach Dominic Ingle unable to be in his corner for this fight due to other commitments, Brook is currently training in Fuerteventura with ex-boxer and friend John Fewkes.

On the undercard, unbeaten Irishman Jono Carroll faces Guillaume Frenois in a final eliminator to become mandatory challenger to IBF junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer. Josh Kelly, Dave Allen and Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan will also see action.

The event will be shown live on Sky Sports in the U.K. and DAZN in the U.S.