Amir Khan labelled Kell Brook his "fanboy" at a fiery media conference before their highly anticipated fight.

Khan, 35, insisted fellow Briton Brook has always been "jealous" of him.

"I think Kell's always been very obsessed with my career. He's been a fanboy," Khan said. "I think there comes a stage where I've been living in his head for such a long time that he needs to start paying me some rent."

Some more mind games from Amir Khan as the song 'Ain't Nobody' was the tune Terence Crawford walked out to before he beat Kell Brook.

Now it flips over to 'No Easy Way Out', the classic from Rocky 4. Solid boxing tunes.

They are changing Kell Brook's gloves in the ring with British Boxing Board of Control supremo Robert Smith watching on.

How unsettling is this going to be to Brook's gameplan?

Amir Khan believes Kell Brook's punching power has gone and he can no longer take a shot.

"All of the lights" is Kell Brook's ring walk and has been the soundtrack to some superb nights of boxing over the past 10 years.

It's now getting played out by a superbly talented pianist and here comes Brook.

It's taken us a long, long time, maybe far too long, to get here but all of the years of waiting are coming to an end.

Welterweight Conor Benn is ringside. The rising star has been vocal about his desire to fight the winner of tonight's main event.

Would Amir Khan or Kell Brook be interested in a showdown with Benn? Benn will certainly be pushing for it, but what would veterans like Khan or Brook get out of beating such a young star?

Surely they're not interested in being a potential gate-keeper? Still though, imagine the build-up to Khan v Benn or Brook v Benn...

Right, whatever the issue was with Kell Brook's gloves, it's been sorted. Sweet Caroline - check, Michael Buffer time - ongoing.

Not long now everyone.

Natasha Jonas says: "I can’t even put it in words. People think I’m exaggerating when I say it means everything, but they honestly don’t know the sacrifices, not just boxers but every athlete goes through.

"I have been through hell and back. I’ve been through ups and downs.”

“I thought it was over. I went away and worked on myself. It just makes it all worth it.”

“Me little girl is at home with my cousin, so mommy did it! This is for you. She’s bringing the belt home.”

Kal Sajad
BBC Sport at Manchester Arena

Image source, Getty Images

Natasha Jonas finally achieved her dream of becoming a world champion with a sensational second-round knockout win over Christian Namus for the vacant WBO super-welterweight title.

Jonas - who has twice before challenged for a world title - dropped Namus with a brutal right hand in the final seconds of the first round.

The Uruguayan staggering back to her corner but just 28 seconds into the second round, she again hit the canvas and despite her protests, the fight was waved off by the referee.

It a deserved world title for a fighter who has achieved so much in the sport, a history-maker who has propelled women's boxing forward.

Liverpool's Jonas was the first female boxer to compete for Great Britain and the first female to compete for Team GB at the Olympic Games.

She has twice come agonisingly close to winning a world title before.

In August 2020, Jonas drew with then-WBC super-featherweight champion Terri Harper in a fight many ringside observers had her winning.

Then 11 months later, Jonas proved her elite-level credentials when she lost a close 12-round decision to Ireland's undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor.

There was no heartbreak for Jonas this time round as she dominated Namus despite jumping up three weight classes to challenge for the vacant belt.

More on the gloves issue...

Sky Sports reporter Andy Scott, standing outside a locked changing room, says: "There is an issue with Kell Brook's gloves, no one can tell us what that issue is officially.

"Everyone is arguing, but we don't know what about."

Image source, Getty Images

Like Khan, Kell Brook started off with success in the amateur ranks, winning two ABA titles before turning professional in 2004, where he instantly impressed with 32 successive victories.

That gave him a shot at American Shawn Porter for the IBF Welterweight Championship in California in August 2014 and, in arguably the greatest performance of his career, Brook gained a points victory to become world champion.

However, his career nearly ended a month later when he was stabbed while on holiday in Tenerife in an unprovoked attack. Luckily, he quickly recovered from those injuries and successfully defended his title on three occasions.

With the WBC, IBF and IBO middleweight belts on the line, Brook suffered the first of his three defeats, losing against Gennady Golovkin. Brook returned to welterweight but then lost an IBF title fight at Bramall Lane, home of his beloved Sheffield United, against Errol Spence.

In both the losses to Golovkin and Spence, Brook suffered fractured eye socket injuries. However, that was not the end of his boxing career as he returned to the ring 10 months later and three wins took him to a WBO welterweight title challenge, but, just as Khan had done, lost to Terence Crawford - suffering a fourth-round defeat in November 2020.

We've had to wait 10 years for this one and might have to wait a few more minutes as Sky Sports Box Office are saying there is a bit of an argument going on backstage, concerning the state of Brook's gloves.

Amir Khan says he is better shape at 35 than 25 before his fight with Kell Brook and insists there are no thoughts of retiring or losing.

Image source, Getty Images

Amir Khan had a glittering amateur career and, when he was the only member of Britain's Olympic boxing squad in 2004, returned with a silver medal, before he turned professional the following year.

Eighteen wins in a row followed before a stunning one-minute knockout loss to Colombian Bredis Prescott in this very arena. But Khan regrouped and became a world champion in 2009, winning the WBA light-welterweight title in Manchester and later added the IBF belt as well.

Successive away losses to Americans Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia left Khan needing to rebuild his career, which he did in style with five victories to set up a WBC middleweight title bout with Mexican Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

But Khan's hopes of becoming a two-weight world champion were dashed with a sixth-round loss in Las Vegas. Two wins back in England saw him fight at New York's Madison Square Garden in April 2019 but he lost to Terence Crawford.

Khan has not been in the ring since a fourth-round win over Australian Billy Dib in Saudi Arabia in July 2019.

BBC 5 Live Boxing pundit Steve Bunce: "It's a great fight. I would have preferred it in 2014 but we've got it now. It will be a hard type fight. A bit of a drain and brawl for the both of them. I think Amir will just about nick it. But I wouldn't be surprised if we see Khan v Brook II."

Former WBO super-featherweight champion Barry Jones: "I think Khan drops Brook, with the speed. He catches him off balance. Then in the middle rounds, Brook drops Khan twice but still loses a points decision. You heard it here first."

Liverpool's Natasha Jonas, speaking earlier this week: "It's simple really. If Brook lands, he can win but he's got to land and if Khan is anywhere close to the Khan we all know and respect, I don't think Brook lands. I think Khan wins."

Jonas' trainer Joe Gallagher: "Khan-Brook is a great fight. I'm excited, everyone is excited. I know a lot of people are saying it's a cash grab but it's still a good fight. It's very much like Mayweather and Pacquiao was - past its prime, but people still tuned in to watch. I'm going to go for Amir Khan. He's fought the better level of fighters but as Kell Brook said, it only takes that one chocolate brownie, baby."

Kell Brook believes Amir Khan's greatest weakness is his chin and is ready to expose his British rival.

Brook and Khan finally step into the ring together after a near 20-year feud and will fight in Manchester in a contest at 10st 9lbs (68kg). Speaking to 5 Live, Brook insisted there was real animosity between the two former world champions.

"I don't like him, he doesn't like me. It's a serious grudge match," he said.

Brook and Khan, both 35, sat down with Eleanor Roper to discuss each other's strengths and weaknesses before the highly-anticipated fight.

Asked what Khan's greatest weakness was, Brook replied: "His whiskers. His chin. The world knows his chin's not there."

The bout is a catchweight contest, with 10st 9lb being two pounds above the welterweight limit but five pounds below the super-welterweight limit.

"Timing beats speed," he added. "I always find a way to get my shots off. We're in there for a long time - there will come a time when we exchange. There is going to be a lot of drama in the fight."

Next up is the main event - Amir Khan v Kell Brook. It's going to be spicy.

Some early reaction from the boxing world to Natasha Jonas becoming the new WBO world super-welterweight champion.