John Hedges vs Pat Brown: A Tribute to Ricky Hatton

John Hedges walked to the scales in Manchester wearing more than just fight gear. Across his chest, in bold images and memories, was Ricky Hatton.

The T-shirt was a tribute and a statement. The late two-weight world champion, found dead at his Manchester home in September 2025 at the age of 46, loomed over the weigh-in as much as either fighter. Hedges, who had worked under Hatton after the ‘Hitman’ moved into coaching following his 2012 retirement, chose to carry his old trainer into fight week in the most visible way possible.

Hatton had been in Hedges’ corner when the Essex fighter claimed the English cruiserweight title in May 2025. On Saturday night, he won’t be there in person. The images on Hedges’ shirt are the closest thing he has.

Hostile noise, familiar territory

If the gesture was sentimental, the reception was anything but. As Hedges stepped onto the stage at New Century Hall, the boos rained down. Manchester made its loyalties clear.

The crowd belonged to Pat Brown.

Hedges, 24, stood in the middle of it, pointed calmly at Hatton’s face on his chest and stared back into the noise. No flinch. No step back.

"This isn't a hostile atmosphere, this is second nature to me," he said, brushing off the jeers. "I've boxed at a high level as an amateur and this is what you get used to.

"Pat knows the crack, he knows where I've been and this is nothing new. I'm blessed to be here but this is nothing new."

The unbeaten cruiserweight, 12-0 as a professional, has been on the road before. On Saturday he walks into the lion’s den again, this time with the vacant British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles on the line.

Across from him stands a local knockout artist with a perfect record and a city at his back.

Brown’s city, Brown’s moment

Pat Brown is the man Manchester has come to see. The former Team GB representative from the 2024 Olympics has built a growing fanbase in his home city, and they made themselves heard long before the first bell.

Chants of "Oh, Patrick the Bomber" rolled around the venue as he emerged, a nod to the nickname that now echoes through local arenas. Every punch he has thrown as a professional has carried danger: six fights, six wins, six knockouts.

The pressure finally showed in his demeanour. All week, Brown had appeared relaxed during media duties, smiling his way through the attention. At the weigh-in, when it mattered, the mood changed. The grin disappeared, the eyes hardened.

He and Hedges both tipped the scales at 14st 3lb (90kg). The numbers matched; the energy did not.

"This is what I was born to do," Brown said, voice tight with focus. "Since I was seven years old and my dad took me into the gym - this is what I was born to do."

A fight that outgrew its stage

The contest was never meant to be this big. Originally scheduled for Planet Ice in Altrincham, the bout had to be moved when demand surged. The ticket scramble forced an upgrade to the much larger Co-op Live arena, a sign of how quickly both men have captured attention.

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn told IFL TV earlier in the week he expected around 5,000 fans to pour in. Not a world-title crowd, but more than enough to turn a domestic grudge match into a serious event.

Brown will walk out as the home favourite, the noise almost certainly tilting in his favour. Hedges will stride into that sound carrying the memory of a Manchester icon across his chest.

An unbeaten technician against a knockout puncher. A visiting champion with a perfect record against a local Olympian who has never heard the final bell.

On Saturday night, in a city that still reveres Ricky Hatton, one of them takes a major step into Britain’s boxing elite – and the other discovers just how unforgiving that climb can be.