Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan II - Pat Brown brings different aura amid busy first year on professional circuit

You don't miss Pat Brown in a crowd. Even among fellow fighters who tower over the rest of their entourage, the twenty-five-year-old sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest.

At six-foot-six, the former Olympian cuts a curious figure as he moves through broadcaster huddles and boxing entourages; a wiry lightning rod of a man, eyes alert and shrewd.

Plenty of stars in the upper divisions carry with them an aura, the kind of star wattage honed by relentless sessions in the ring, journeyman fights as stepping stones to the top.

Brown's aura is different. Already exposed to an audience as one of Team GB's bright young hopes a year ago at Paris 2024, he was in the limelight long before he went pro.

But it is far more than that. This is a man who, despite his standout shape and size, placing his head closer to the sky, remains resolutely grounded with his feet on the earth.

Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing

He's the sort of boxer who offers an earnest apology to strangers when he has to squeeze past them in the corridor, who seems to delight in the stray conversation he crosses.

Over two days of press where fighters are shuttled to and fro across Belfast, barely given pause for breath as they tick off obligations, Brown seems to luxuriate in his opportunites.

"It feels like I'm escaping everything," he admits to DAZN News, on his first professional fight abroad. "I'm locked in. It's exciting. You see a different city. It has a little more tension.

"I'll definitely have a walk, have a look at Belfast. Many people speak wonders about the place, so I can't wait to get out and see it. [But] I'm always ready, I'm always in shape."

Brown is in town as part of the main undercard for Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donovan's rematch at Windsor Park, a historic bout where the IBF welterweight title is up for grabs.

It marks a remarkable fourth fight in seven months for him, a relentlessly judged pace that has kept him busy since he turned pro on the back of last year's Olympic heartbreak.

But it is a pace he seems perfectly at ease with. Confirmation of his participation came "about seven weeks ago", according to the star, originally to face off with Franco Catena.

Brown will now battle with Austine Nnamdi, but the star isn't concerned with who the foe is, adding, "I'm always in the gym. You give me a call at three weeks' notice and I'll be there."

Eddie Hearn certainly trusts the process. Speaking with DAZN News on a media round table, the Matchroom boss believes a belt is on the horizon - and another division too.

"This Pat Brown, he's a serious fighter," he adds. "He's got a massive fanbase in Manchester, and he's only one or two fights away from fighting for a British title. I see Pat."

Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing

"I think John Hedges is good. Two young guys for the English title. I want him to fight Aloys [Junior]. I think that's an unbelievable fight. I understand Pat's only had three fights.

"But he was an outstanding amateur. He can seriously fight. There's a lot of very good, young heavyweights people are getting very excited about, and Pat has sparred them all.

"They will know what happened in those spares. Pat Brown will move to heavyweight. He'll win championships at cruiserweight, but he will eventually go to heavyweight as well."

Brown may have the record, but he is yet to get the minutes that many of his rivals will. In three fights thus far, he's explored just seven rounds from a possible twenty in total.

Nnamdi offers a chance to go deeper, and it's one he wants. For the star, he needs to put those championship stages in the tank to make sure he has the depth down the line.

"A hundred percent, I want to bank rounds," he admits. "This guy is tough. It's why they've put him up against me. He'll take me the rounds, but I want to go, I want to feel it now."

Hearn knows his man has the challenge too, adding. "He's got a tough fight this weekend. This guy is tough, rugged. You'd expect to give him rounds. But Pat is a vicious fighter."

For Brown, though, the focus is firmly on building towards that future. It is a busy life that has kept him in his routines - and, he admits, away from his old Team GB colleagues.

"I haven't actually been back and seen all my old coaches since I left for the Olympics," he acknowledges. "It's quite poor of me. It's only in Sheffield, so I do plan to go there.

"But I've been that busy with pro-life. It's hard to make the time. When the weekend comes, I want to spend it with my family and go to my dad's amateur club. I've got other priorities.

Carl Recine/Getty Images

He smiles ruefully and pledges he'll revisit his roots soon. "That's with no disrespect to GB Boxing, I do owe them a lot. I'll definitely be returning and saying hello to them all."

Now, however, it's all about the future, and his dance on a fight card that Brown encourages fans to come and see before the weekend's other noted showdown in Las Vegas.

"It's a historic event," he muses. "If you live in the UK or Ireland, you should come and watch the boxing here, and then slap Canelo-Crawford on the television. It's a win-win."

And beyond it, as Hearn eyes up his next prize, Brown knows he wants it done before he sits down to his Christmas dinner too: "One more before the year, and that will be 5-0!"

Matchroom Boxing

Watch Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan II on DAZN

Watch Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan II, plus the whole undercard from Belfast's Windsor Park, with a DAZN subscription this September.

For more information on how to sign up, click here.