How Khan v Brook fight was made after years of failed talks

For so long, Amir Khan v Kell Brook seemed destined to be the one that got away.

But on Saturday night at the Manchester Arena the former world champions, both 35, will at last settle their differences inside a ring.

Brook turned professional in 2004 and Khan — fresh off a silver medal at the Athens Olympics — did so the following year.

As the years rolled by, both achieved great heights in professional boxing. Yet, a blockbuster all-British affair could not be negotiated.

That was until Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom worked his magic, although it was no easy task.

"They both weren't easy to deal with if I'm honest," Shalom tells BBC Sport.

"They were like two kids. If one felt like the other one was getting advantage, he'd want to pull out."

It's all about timing

The two fighters could have clashed in 2010 when Bolton's Khan held the WBA super-lightweight title and was called out by Brook.

Or in 2012 when they sat side-by-side on Sky Sports boxing show Ringside and shared their own accounts of who came out top in a sparring session during the amateurs.

The fight would have perhaps seen them at their peak in 2015 when Sheffield's Brook — having defended his IBF welterweight crown — once against challenged Khan.

Critics say the bout is well past its sell-by-date, but Shalom insists now is "the perfect time and setting" for Khan-Brook.

"I think before there was almost too much to lose," he explains. "You had two British guys that had known each other since they were 17 and had world title ambitions and wanted to conquer America.

"Fighting each other at that stage of their career maybe would have stopped one of them achieving that.

"The rivalry and legacy meant that there was too much on the line and too much to lose."

They both had to make concessions

When a box-office bout is billed as a 'grudge match', it can spark suspicion as to just how authentic the bad blood really is.

While some opponents engage in a pantomime-like war of words, the animosity between Khan and Brook is wholly genuine, and one which has continued to intensify over the years.

Khan unashamedly plotted not only to 'crack America' but aim for global domination. He felt Brook's public profile and achievements were beneath him and instead chased bouts with pound-for-pound stars Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Subsequently, Brook felt aggrieved by Khan's apparent lack of respect.

As such, the major challenge in getting the fight over the line was persuading both boxers to make some allowances.

"Khan and Brook didn't want the other to win on anything," Shalom says. "Whether that's the venue, changing rooms, weight or ring size, there was an argument."

They agreed to fight in Manchester — an ideal location between Sheffield and Bolton — and a catchweight of 10st 9lbs (68kg) - two pounds over the welterweight limit - was agreed.

For every pound a fighter is over the limit, he must pay the opponent £100,000 — an indicator of the complexity in getting this fight on and the intricacies of the contract.

"In the end, they both conceded somewhat but I can see why they have both been difficult to deal with and why they're very twitchy about this fight," Shalom adds.

It's about more than just money

Khan and Brook are prize fighters. For a boxer to put their body through gruelling training camps and to be punched in the face for a living, there has to be a justifiable reward.

Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has described it as a "money grab", with some reports suggesting Khan will earn £5m from the fight and Brook £3m.

Shalom says financing the fight was a significant hurdle, but insisted the bout about is more than just one final payday.

"What was quite hard when making this fight was that both these fighters have earned all the money they've ever needed to earn," he says.

"Khan in particular always has options to make money. The guy is a superstar. People can talk about paydays but I don't think he needed to take this fight.

"He's made a lot of money in his career, and a lot more than he will in this fight when you think of the Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez fight.

"I genuinely think Amir Khan is just a boxing fan who will always take the biggest fight. Brook too will never shy away from anyone and has always wanted this fight."

Too many cooks

Getting Khan and Brook to sit down across a table from each other and agree on a deal was going to be difficult. Instead, Shalom had to earn the trust of their respective teams.

He says both fighters have stripped back the number of people involved in the running of their careers, something which made his job a lot easier.

"Khan's team are notoriously difficult to deal with because they know he's a global superstar, but it has almost been a circus in terms of who's been involved with his career and who's hasn't," Shalom says.

"He's got rid of a lot of people in his team, which made it simple. Kell also has a big team but we managed to deal with just his dad."

It took Shalom five months of negotiations with Kell's father, Terry Thompson, and Khan's wife Faryal Makhdoom and manager Mazhar Majeed, to get the fight signed.

"There were other promoters interested which made it difficult for us, but the important thing is that both teams trusted us," Shalom says.

"They needed a promoter who was going to put them first, stand in the middle and not make any of them paranoid that we are favouring one fighter over the other."

So nice they'll do it twice?

By the final hours of Saturday, one fighter — barring a draw — will proudly bask in the glory and secure bragging rights.

With British boxing fans having waited so long for this fight, could we perhaps have Khan v Brook II at some point in the future?

"There is a rematch clause as a precaution should anything go wrong," Shalom says.

"But I can't see it going to a rematch. This could end in a knockout and I don't think the other fighter will want a rematch after this.

"Whoever wins on Saturday night will be the winner and it will be left at that. I don't know what happens to the loser but the winner has a huge amount of options.

"People can say they're over the hill but then why are the likes of Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn wanting to fight them?

"They're still the biggest names in boxing in and around the welterweight division."