CHORLEY’S Michael Jennings hopes his British title fight with Kell Brook will still go ahead in the next few months.

Jennings was due to challenge the highly-rated Brook for the welterweight belt live on Sky Sports at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on Friday, but the Sheffield fighter has pulled out because of a viral infection.

Having lost to Miguel Cotto in a fight for the WBO title at Madison Square Garden in New York in February, Jennings had been aiming to catapult himself back on to the world stage with victory over Brook – recently named the young British boxer of the year.

There are still hopes that the fight could go ahead before the end of the year, while the 32-year-old is now trying to arrange a new opponent for a 10-round fight on Friday.

Asked whether he would lose out financially if the Brook bout is not rearranged, Jennings said: “I would do but it’s not just that, it’s all the training that’s gone in, all eight or nine weeks of going to Manchester. I just need a fight now for the blowout.

“I’ve no idea when I could fight Kell Brook now. It’s him who’s pulled out. I would fight him tonight, so we’ll just have to see.

“At some point I think it will happen but I just need to make sure I get through this one on Friday now so I can fight him.”

Jennings’ only other fight since the Cotto defeat was a fourth-round stoppage of little known Northern Irish fighter Willie Thompson in June.