O rdinarily, when a 4-0 British prospect steps out on an undercard in the U.S., a promoter would expect to be working overtime to get their man a couple of soundbites here and there. Eddie Hearn is always braced for that sort of work. But when Manchester cruiserweight Pat Brown took on one-time Dmitry Bivol foe Felix Valera in Orlando last November, the Matchroom chief was on Easy Street. After taking the measure of his man during a methodical and astute opener, Brown unleashed hell in Round 2, decking Valera three times en route to a fifth successive knockout win in eight months as a professional. The second knockdown gave a picture-book demonstration of Brown’s honey punch, the lead left hook. The third led to the bout being waved off instantly when a short right hand put the Dominican veteran flat on his face. “Luis DeCubas Sr. came up to me and said, ‘Wow, this kid’s like a young Rocky Marciano,’” Hearn beamed in the ring afterward, one of the more seasoned PROSPECT WATCH: Pat Brown By Dom Farrell
operators of the promotional game having done his job for him. “So that’s my new name for him: ‘Manchester’s Rocky Marciano.’ This kid is going to go all the way. We’ve got a diamond on our hands.” An accomplished amateur who represented Great Britain in the heavyweight category (weight limit of about 201 pounds) at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Brown began his career at Sale West ABC, the same club where British boxing icon Ricky Hatton took some of his first steps. Sale West is now run by Brown’s father, Mike, who was a beaming example of parental pride throughout fight week in Orlando. He also bequeathed
his “Bomber” nickname to his son. “He had a handful of amateur fights, only had about 12. People knew about him more outside the ring, to be honest, just from fisticuffs,” Pat explains. “He was never a bully, my dad; he just had a reputation of having a hard dig on him. That’s where the nickname comes from. It got given to me without any choice. But he’s great, a proper working man, proper old- school.” “Old-school” is a label that comes up frequently in conversation with Brown, and always as a desirable guiding principle. Whether it’s a no-nonsense work ethic in the gym under the watchful eye of trainer Jamie Moore; his favorite fighters, such as Evander Holyfield; or the traditional route through the ranks that he wants to plot. The winner of the English cruiserweight title fight between champion John Hedges and Ellis Zorro on December 17 is viewed as an obvious next opponent before targeting British and European honors. And there is nothing more thrillingly old-school than raw, sense-scrambling, fight-ending power. No matter the era or style, it’s what fighters and fans want more than anything else. Brown has it, and has it to the extent that this does not feel like one of those early-career KO streaks that dwindles once a boxer moves up through the levels. “It’s so difficult to explain,” says Moore before doing a very decent job of vividly describing Brown’s power. “Sometimes it feels like he’s [going] to snap my arm in two, especially with that left hook. His left hook’s phenomenal.”
Brown turned pro in March with a brutal stoppage of Federico Grandone.
52 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker