Pat Brown is living the dream ahead of his professional boxing debut.
Brown will headline the Planet Ice Altrinham event on March 28 in his hometown of Manchester, England, which is almost unheard of in the professional game. The 25-year-old is Team GB’s hottest amateur prospect following the Paris Olympics and it was Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing that earned the young star’s signature.
“I’m excited that I’m going to be headlining my professional debut,” Brown told BoxingScene. “Only fighters can dream of this and I’m living that dream, so I’m really blessed and I’m blessed to be in the position I’m in – I can’t wait.
“[Matchroom] It’s really behind me and that’s all a fighter can ask for, so I have no excuses now to reach the top of my game. I’ve got the age and I’ve got the foundation to move up the rankings and stuff, so all I can do is focus on my training and make sure I’m 110% ready. “
Brown will compete at lightweight and train with Jamie Moore and his old amateur coach Nigel Travis in Manchester, just a few miles from his home. Moore and Travis are no strangers to developing top talent after overseeing the development of the likes of Jack Cattrall. Brown will join a growing roster of fighters that also includes Cameron Wong, Dave Allen and Connor Tudsbury.
“It’s such a blessing in disguise that I’m in my hometown of Manchester,” Brown said. “Certain fighters have to travel to training camps so I’m really lucky that I can just drive down the road and here I am. Obviously, I know Nigel [Travis] Coming from an amateur, so I have a really good relationship with him and I know Jamie [Moore] It’s been a lot of years, too, so it’s a very tight unit. It was perfect and everything coordinated so well, so I couldn’t ask for more.
“You look at people like Jack Catterall, Carl Frampton who used to work out in the gym, Chantelle Cameron, etc. [who had the] Katie Taylor’s big games, so they’ve been there, they’ve worn the T-shirts, they know what to expect on the biggest stage, so I’m definitely in good hands.
“Yeah, it’s great to train alongside Jack [Catterall],” he continued. “A lot of people ask me this question, they ask, ‘What’s it like training with him? ‘You know, Jack is so down to earth, he’s a family man, his morals are fair – he’s just a lovely guy, I don’t think he’s a great warrior. He’s just a friend of mine and we get along really well and we push each other and I’m really lucky to have him by my side. “
Brown is part of the British Olympic team competing in Paris 2024. Brown was considered one of the medal hopes but was beaten in the first round by Brazil’s Gino Machado. Brown has no regrets, though.
“No, I achieved everything I wanted to achieve as an amateur,” he said. “To be fair I didn’t expect to be able to go to the Olympics, I was just excited to be in the GB team and experience a different foreign style and earn my stripes before I rolled over. So the Olympics were a big event and I got a lot more A lot of experience obviously also got me into the professional ranks, so yes, I was ahead of the amateurs every step of the way and I have no regrets.
“I started slow and the pro game definitely suited me better, obviously there’s a lot for me to learn, the heat of the lights, the big occasions, all of that is obviously pressure, but if you want to make it big in boxing, pressure It’s only going to get bigger, so it’s a big part of the game and yeah, I can’t wait to get in there and show my skills.”
Brown was always well supported in his amateur days, often attracting hundreds of fans to watch him play across the country. His support has grown further since his success with Team GB and qualifying for the Olympics, with hundreds of people attending a night just to announce his signing with Hearn and Matchroom. A huge crowd is expected when he headlines Manchester on March 28.
“Yes, I thrive on the crowds that watch me fight,” Brown said. “I obviously lost that when I was boxing for British and international boxing, so I was boxing in the middle of nowhere, quiet etc. Etc. Look, boxing is boxing, and I can do that and I can do that when I have a big crowd, so if anything the crowd just adds fuel to the fire and yeah, it’s great— —This is what I live for.”
British boxers have enjoyed great success in the lightweight division over the years, with the likes of Glenn McCrory, Carl Thompson, Johnny Nelson, David Haye and Tony Bellew all gaining weight. World Champions, most recently, Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith have both won world championships in powerlifting. World Boxing Organization Championship Title. Brown hopes to join that list.
“One hundred percent, [I want to win a world title],” he said. “The lightweight division has always been in the spotlight because of the heavyweights and now it’s really a booming division with a mix of speed and power, it’s a great division and I can’t wait Want to write my name down and join them as great warriors. That would be great.
“You have to say this [Jai] Opetaia, he’s number one,” he continued. “He’s a great fighter, he brings amateur pedigree as well, he has dynamite hands and he’s the guy that everyone wants at the moment . And then you even get things like old-timer Briedis. These are quality lightweights who aren’t huge in the boxing world. Like real boxing fans, but boxing fans in general, they don’t really know these fighters, and these are really, really great fighters. So, yeah, there’s a lot of talent here at lightweight. “
