A British battle between Kell Brook and Amir Khan is still yet to happen and Junior Witter knows the frustration of being unable to face a long-term rival. There is a flicker of hesitation in the 42-year-old when asked for the biggest regret in his boxing career, but Witter cannot deny his lingering torment at failing to share the ring with Ricky Hatton.
"Yes, it is obviously, it's one fight that I really wanted to happen," Witter told Sky Sports. "It would have proved a lot of things to a lot of people."
Long before a fight between Brook and Khan was ever mentioned, two other British fighters were locked in a bitter rivalry, which led to repeated calls for the feuding duo to finally settle their differences. Hatton, a hugely popular Mancunian, had brought a fresh era of excitement to the sport with his all-action approach, while the skilful Witter was dissecting his own opponents with a switch-hitting style.
In that era, brash challenges could not be issued on social media, so Witter took matters into his own hands and famously gatecrashed one of Hatton's post-fight interviews. Despite this show of defiance, and a long-running debate about Britain's best super-lightweight, the two men would never step through the ropes and Witter does not want Brook-Khan to slip away in similar fashion.
"That's a grudge match that just hasn't died and needs to be laid to rest," said Witter, who is a product of the same Ingle family gym where Brook trains in Sheffield. "It's a fight that should happen and could have happened already. For me, the Hatton fight was there for years. It wasn't there for a couple of years, it was there for over a decade. He turned pro, they were singing his praises, because he came through on a brilliant amateur career. He was a great ticket seller, a great role model through his career, and he was as popular as anything.”
