Kell Brook defends his world title against Jo Jo Dan - who are our experts backing?

Kell Brook is back in the ring, with his world title on the line. The Sheffield star will defend his IBF welterweight belt against mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan, live on Sky Sports 1 on Saturday night.

Everyone expects the champion to brush the challenger away but after that awful stabbing back in September, the expectation of the home support and the added pressure, will Brook be back to his best?

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Who better to ask than our Panel, with three former world champions, one active fighter and one of Britain's new breed of trainers coming through. So here's their predictions... 

Glenn McCrory: This is a pivotal fight for Kell Brook - and I never thought I would be saying that about a guy who was making the first defence of his world title. Six months ago he produced a superb performance to out-class Shawn Porter, yet within a couple of weeks, his very life was in danger thanks to that stabbing.

The scar injury itself must be a worry but the actual mental injuries are the one thing that concerns me and yes, he is a world champion, but a win here is enough. I don't care if Brook doesn't put on a show, I want to see him get this out of the way, with that belt in hand. 

"I see Brook coming through on points."

If he was taking an easier opponent, I would expect more but Jo Jo Dan has only lost twice [to the same opponent] and any mandatory challenger at that level, is decent. I am not saying he will give Kell real problems, or at least he certainly wouldn’t if he hadn’t been attacked last summer, but Dan’s awkwardness and those mental scars will make it hard. 

But you know, as long as that Porter performance is still there, I am sure Kell Brook will get through this. I expect Brook to - rightly - make a very, very cautious start and I even expect Dan to put him through some tough times early on but as I say, this is all about the win. I see Brook coming through on points.

Jim Watt: Assuming he’s not feeling that injury, which I don’t think he will, Kell Brook will looker better as the fight goes on. He has the personality to step up to another level. There was a stage in his career when he called off a fight against Devon Alexander and you thought ‘does he want it?’

"Kell Brook's class will tell the longer the fight goes on."

But that’s behind him now because he has taken a step forwards and won a world title. Now he’ll have the wonderful feeling of being introduced as IBF world champion in his hometown.

I actually expect Dan to start quickly and fight at a good pace, being competitive for a few rounds. But he has been on the floor a couple of times so once Brook settles the fight to a pace that he likes, he’ll land heavy punches and stop him late on. Possibly in those championship rounds.

Kell Brook's class will tell the longer the fight goes on. As long as he’s at his best, he’ll do the business.

Jamie Moore: For the first three or four rounds, Brook will take his time getting into it because he’s been out for a while. But once he finds his timing and his distance, he’ll bust Dan up and get him out of there within six or seven. Initially it will be competitive but Brook will start pulling away.

"As long as Brook is on his game, he should make Dan look average"

As long as Brook is on his game, he should make Dan look average. Brook, on his night, is an elite fighter and he’ll do an impressive job on Dan to stake a claim for a big showdown with Amir Khan.

Jo Jo Dan is certainly a competitive challenger but whether he’s in Brook’s league is questionable. That’s not a slight on Dan, that’s a pat on the back for Brook.

Brook has stepped his game up since winning the world title last summer. Hopefully the injury he suffered doesn’t make a difference to him – he assures me he is, the last time I spoke to him he said he wasn’t feeling the injury.

Paul Smith: Brook will win, and it will be straightforward for him. It’s all about levels in class and Kell is a level above Dan. Brook will get him out of there pretty sharpish – as soon as he chooses to put his foot down on the gas.

"Brook will get him out of there pretty sharpish"

He might start cagily, he’ll want to move around and shake off some rust because he hasn’t fought in a while. It might take him a round or two to see what’s going on, but he’ll want to get on with it – Dan will be a brave and game challenger but Brook will stop him.

Anyone in world title fights will be a competitive challenge because they give it everything they’ve got. It will be Dan’s dream so Brook has to be even better. We’ve seen it countless times where the challenger turns up for a world title fight and fights out of their skin so that’s what Brook must be wary of.

Johnny Nelson: I think Kell stops Jo Jo Dan. I just think he’s too strong for him, too sharp for him, too destructive for him. An on form Kell does the job and does it in style. That’s why I can’t see it going to distance. 

"Kell will get him out of there around the ninth."

Jo Jo Dan is a decent fighter. I just think that Kell Brook is world class. Dan is durable, he’s not the heaviest puncher in the world, but he’s got decent ability and he travels well. 

I just think this is an opportunity for Kell Brook to shine and show off. All the chaotic things that have happened around him, Kell thrives on it. He will thrive on that Sheffield atmosphere too, he really will. He has always said he wants to bring that belt back home and he cannot wait to do that.

He'll be pumped up and I know he wants to put on a show and I can see Dan lasting into the second-half, but Kell will get him out of there around the ninth.

Watch Kell Brook v Jo Jo Dan live from 7.30pm, Saturday, Sky Sports 1.