Manchester fighter Patrick Brown hopes to become the first British man in 104 years to win a medal in the heavyweight division at the 2024 Paris Games.
Team GB's new heavyweight prospect has revealed he plans to thank boxing legend Ricky Hatton if he wins the Olympics.
Manchester fighter Patrick Brown hopes to become the first British man in 104 years to win a medal in the heavyweight division at the 2024 Paris Games. Like the 'Hitman', the 24-year-old started his career at Sale West, where his father Mike now runs the club and where the multiple world champion honed his skills. .
In fact, Mike Brown and Hatton know each other well, and the pair are two of the big reasons why Brown Jr. started dreaming of Olympic glory.
“It meant everything to us to arrive in Paris,” Brown said. “This has been a dream of mine since I was a child. I wanted to show everyone back home that if you keep running straight through the narrows, anything is possible and it will take you to the top.” I am.”
“Ricky boxed at Sale West, which was the same amateur gym I started going to. He was a big role model for me, because my dad was a great role model. , I always wanted to impress my father.
“My father now runs Sale West and has done so for many years. When Ricky was around, he used to box a lot. He's always around and he's always with me. So as long as I can make him proud, that's all I'm asking.
“As soon as I get home he asks me about boxing. He never really leaves you. I just want to relax and he wants me to teach him, it's always there. . I have two brothers who box, so it's always crazy.
“My support back home in Manchester has been incredible and I’m always grateful. They come on trips to watch me and even if I can’t go they’re always there to cheer me on. Children It's great to show that anything is possible, and if they can do it, I came from nothing, so they can certainly too.”
Brown started boxing at the age of seven and had his first amateur bout at just 11 years old. He has only joined GB's first team in recent years, but his path to the top went faster than expected – thanks to his obsession with boxing the sport.
“Honestly, boxing is all I’ve ever known and I’ve always been around boxing,” Brown said. “Every day, something boxing-related comes at me. It's always on my mind, I'm always thinking about it, watching it, and doing it.”
Mr Brown, who now fights out of Moss Side Fire Station, believes boxing changed his life and has seen the impact it has had on many other young people.
“When the young guys go to the gym and think it's hard outside, we do a little sparring, and it humbles them,” Brown said. “They learn discipline and respect, those are the basics you learn in a boxing gym. Young people who don't mix much outside, in school or college or whatever, might mix in a boxing gym. Everyone is equal. ”
Brown is one of more than 1,000 elite athletes to take part in UK Sport's National Lottery-funded World Class programme, where he will train full-time, have access to the world's best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support. You can receive it.
Brown secured a spot in the Olympics with a unanimous decision victory over Poland's Mateusz Bereznicki at the recent World Qualifier in Italy.
The opponent he will defeat in Paris will be Cuba's Julio Cesar La Cruz, one of the greatest amateur boxers of all time and aiming for his third Olympic gold medal. But Brown is bullish on his own hopes of finishing on the podium.
“I've always been in the spotlight. I like being suspected, so when I show up, it surprises the players and everyone else,” Brown said. “I am 100% confident that I can win a medal and I can enjoy the journey that is ahead of me. I hope to become a professional in the future and this will help my experience.”
