Exclusive - Brook furious as WBO strips him; unranked Gavin to box for title

The idiosyncrasies of world 'governing' bodies are a regular source of ridicule and frustration within boxing. The latest comes from the WBO which has stripped Sheffield's Kell Brook of their Inter-Continental belt whilst allowing the vacant title to be contested by Frankie Gavin and Young Mutley, neither of whom appears highly in any world rankings.

BoxRec News understands that a rule stating that a boxer must defend his title within 120 days has been invoked. Brook last defended his title in December with a two-round blowout of woeful Philip Kotey. However, there was more than six months between Brook winning the belt by stopping Krzystzof Bienias (pictured) and his first defence against Michael Jennings and he wasn't stripped at that time. That may have been because an extension was given due to the on-off nature of that contest.  However, if that was the case it was certainly not made public.

Brook was then boxing under the promotional banner of Frank Warren but recently left to join Matchroom.  Coincidentally, Gavin fights for Warren and according to the promoter's website, the Brummie is set to face Young Mutley for Brook's vacant former strap on May 21st.

Eddie Hearn had said on Sky's Ringside programme that Brook would be defending his belt and there appears to have been, at the very least, some questionable communication from the WBO.

Warren announced that Gavin would be facing Mutley for this title as long ago as 20th April but still no one from the governing body has been in touch with the man who won the belt in the ring.

"I'm absolutely furious that I've been stripped," Brook told BoxRec News. "I'm self-managed but nobody has even officially told me. Nobody has written to me or anything.

"I didn't know anything about this 120 day rule and nobody I know does either. I've had no warning, nothing."

(Interestingly, this rule doesn't seem to appear in the WBO's publicly available regulations, although these do relate to their world champions rather than Inter-Continental ones.  Their world champions get nine months to defend.)

"I'm looking forward and I'm going on to bigger and better things - I don't need that bauble.

"I understand that Frankie Gavin has been put forward to fight for it. Tell you what, if he wins, I'll fight him to get my old title back. I'm sure Frank (Warren) would be prepared to put Frankie Gavin in with me."

Brook is set to headline a show in his home city on June 25th.