Pat Brown secured the vacant British and Commonwealth cruiserweight crowns on Saturday night at Manchester’s Co‑op Live, delivering a decisive sixth‑round body blow that he dedicated to the memory of British boxing great Ricky Hatton. The 26‑year‑old Olympian, who entered the bout with a flawless 7‑0 professional record, added the prestigious Lonsdale Belt to the WBA International and IBF Intercontinental titles already hanging in his gym. For his opponent, John Hedges, the loss was a bitter end to an unbeaten streak that had stretched over his first twelve professional contests.
The fight was far from a simple affair. Hedges, a towering 6‑foot‑6 southpaw from Harlow, used his height and unorthodox stance to keep Brown at bay during the early exchanges.
He repeatedly clinched whenever Brown tried to close the distance, making it difficult for the Manchester native to land clean punches. Frustration began to mount for Brown, who responded by leaning his head into Hedges and pushing him backward until referee Reece Carter stepped in to separate the two. A turning point arrived in the fifth round. Brown abandoned the hunt for a single, spectacular knockout punch and instead focused on establishing his jab, using it to control the pace and distance.
He then unleashed a right uppercut that snapped Hedges’ chin upward, signalling that the tide was turning. The following round saw Brown shift his target higher, aiming for the ribs after five rounds of testing the champion’s head. In the sixth, Brown’s strategy paid off in spectacular fashion.
He landed a powerful hook to the body that sent Hedges to one knee. Hedges managed to rise, only to be met seconds later with another crushing body shot.
This time the former champion could not recover, and the referee halted the contest, awarding Brown a technical knockout. The victory was not only a professional milestone but also an emotional tribute; Brown explicitly linked the decisive body shot to Ricky Hatton, who had tragically passed away just a year and five days earlier.
"I finished him with a body shot in memory of him," Brown said, underscoring the personal significance of the win. Both combatants shared a deep connection to Hatton.
Brown trains at the same gym that Hatton once called home, and Hatton had also been in Hedges’ corner, guiding him to an English title. The atmosphere in the arena reflected this shared heritage, as a sizable contingent of supporters from Brown’s hometown of Sale cheered him on from the opening bell, chanting his name throughout the bout. Brown reflected on his approach after the fight, explaining to DAZN that patience was key. "I can't just go bulldozing in with him, people think you can't box," he said.
"With John, you're not going to get him out of there straight away because he'll just make you miss and make you look silly. That's why it was a patient performance." The event’s undercard featured several notable performances. Shabaz Masoud dominated Ckari Mansilla with a clean 100‑90 sweep on all three judges' cards, securing the WBA International and IBF Intercontinental featherweight titles. In a British super‑middleweight eliminator, Mark Jeffers outpointed Kieron Conway, while Cory O'Regan captured the English lightweight championship from Joe Howarth.
Across the Atlantic, Isaac Cruz made headlines by calling out Ryan Garcia after a controversial knockout victory over Nestor Bravo at San Diego’s Pechanga Arena, where Cruz retained his WBC interim super‑lightweight belt for the second time. "Hey, Ryan, I'm here," the Puerto Rican, known as "Pitbull," shouted after the win. "My next fight for you.
Come on, Ryan." Garcia, who had just defended his WBC welterweight title by stopping Conor Benn in two rounds in Las Vegas, responded to Cruz’s challenge, suggesting a December showdown. However, Garcia’s future remains uncertain as negotiations surface for a potential clash with Teofimo Lopez, the reigning welterweight champion, which would place Garcia in a different weight class than Cruz. Cruz’s own bout was not without drama.
After a sharp hook in the first round that caught Bravo off‑balance, the referee began issuing warnings: a point deduction for holding in round two, a caution for low blows in round three, and another point taken in round four after an illegal push that sent Cruz to the canvas. The referee warned that a disqualification could leave Bravo unpaid.
The contest concluded in the sixth when Cruz landed a clean left hook that sent Bravo to the canvas for the second time in his career, handing him his first loss in over a decade. Cruz improved his record to 29‑3‑2. Other undercard highlights included victories by Daniel Blancas, Marco Verde, and Eumir Marcial, all of whom stopped their opponents before the final bell.
The night’s action showcased the depth of talent across multiple weight divisions and underscored the emotional resonance of boxing’s heritage, as Pat Brown’s tribute to Ricky Hatton reminded fans that the sport’s history continues to inspire new champions.