CHORLEY’S Michael Jennings could miss out on the chance to fight Kell Brook after sustaining a hand injury during his impressive points victory over Laszlo Komjathi on Friday.

Jennings won all eight rounds against the Hungarian, who was brought in as a late opponent at Liverpool’s Echo Arena after the scheduled fight with Brook was postponed last week.

Brook had been suffering with a viral infection but the bout had since been earmarked to take place on the undercard of Amir Khan’s world title fight with Dmitriy Salita in Newcastle on December 5.

Jennings, though, may now not be ready in time to fight on that date after suffering bruising to his hand on Friday.

And it is thought that the highly-rated Brook may not be prepared to wait until next year for the fight, with other options also on the table for the Sheffield man.

There had been plans that Brook, who has emerged from the same gym that developed Naseem Hamed, would step up and fight for a European or even world title on December 5 had he been able to defeat Jennings on Friday.

And Jennings’ trainer Brian Hughes thinks Frank Warren, who promotes both fighters, may opt to put those plans in motion if the 32-year-old Chorley man is not ready to fight in December.

Hughes said: “Mike has got bruising to the top of his hand.

“The Brook fight was supposed to be in seven weeks so I don’t know if he’ll be ready for that. I don’t think he will be, but we’ll have to look at it today.

“I think they were already looking for Brook to fight on that date for a world or European title, so I think he might fight someone else.

“But Mike doesn’t need Kell Brook. He doesn’t need to wait for him.

“I don’t know who is European champion at the moment but Mike should go and fight them.”

But, despite the injury, Hughes declared himself thoroughly impressed with Jennings’ display against Komjathi.

“It was an absolutely brilliant performance,” he said.

“It was immaculate. He hit his opponent but didn’t take a punch himself.

“I was worried when we found out his opponent last week because the guy had been training for a fight, even though he’d just stepped in at the last minute. He was a very dangerous fighter.

“He fought the wonderkid Amir Khan three years ago and gave him a torrid time.

“He’s had about 70 professional fights and only been stopped a few times with cuts, but he didn’t lay a glove on Mike.

“Mike won every second of the eight rounds. It was a masterclass in how not to get hit.”