Exclusive: Hearn Believes Brown Can Follow In Hatton's Illustrious Footsteps

Former GB Olympian Pat Brown can follow in the footsteps of Ricky Hatton, Josh Warrington and Anthony Crolla by becoming a champion of the people as well as champion boxer, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn.

The 25-year-old, from Manchester, announced his transition into the professional ranks with a glitzy media conference in the city earlier this week surrounded by around 300 family members, friends and fans.

Nicknamed ‘The Bomber’, Brown’s popularity, combined with his amateur pedigree, has convinced Hearn that he has signed “a star of the future” to the Matchroom stable.

Reflecting upon how Hatton, Warrington and Crolla all commanded huge levels of support from within the communities as they reached the peak of their chosen sport, 

Hearn told SportsBoom: “There’s something real about this, the backing for Pat. Social media followings are great but I’ve never known a ticket seller - and I mean a real ticket seller - to be built purely on one of those.

“Hatton, Warrington, Crolla - they were huge. That was because they knew the people who came to see them. They were out and about and people in their communities felt they knew them. Know them in fact.

“It’s all about building a community of people who ask ‘When is so and so fighting? We’ll be there. Oh, they’ve got an away day. We’ll travel to see them there.’

“Things like this, what’s going on around Pat, makes me feel good. It’s a lot better than reading s**t online.”

VEGAS FIGHT NIGHTS

Hatton, a lifelong Manchester City follower, became famous for luring thousands of Mancunians across the Atlantic for his fights in Las Vegas. 

Crolla, a Manchester United fan, also enjoyed mammoth support while Warrington, from Leeds, drew many of his fans from the terraces at Elland Road.

Like Crolla, Brown has also aligned himself with The Red Devils and was pictured outside and inside Old Trafford on the video commissioned to celebrate his match-up with Hearn. 

Despite enduring a frustrating time in Paris, where he exited this summer’s games at the first round stage, Brown is still regarded as one of this country’s most talented prospects after twice winning the English heavyweight title. 

Having learnt his trade under Nigel Travis at the Moss Side Fire Station Gym, Brown has now been placed under the tutelage of fellow Mancunian Jamie Moore. However, Travis, who works closely with Moore, will continue as part of his team having established a close working relationship with Moore.

“Who knows? One day we might be having a world unification fight at Old Trafford and looking back to when Pat’s pro career was launched in an old church,” said Hearn, who plans to fast-track Brown through the cruiserweight division. “I love developing these lads and it’s the best part of the job for me.

“Sometimes you meet someone and you just know. I knew all about Pat’s ability but I also discovered I really liked him as a lad too. If I’m putting money into you, then I want to invest in you as a person as well.

“It’s like buying a racehorse. You don’t just look at its pedigree. You also look at its character.”