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Hitman Hero: Will Pat Brown emulate Ricky Hatton for Manchester pride?
You don't grow up in Manchester and not fall in love with sport. A former textile town turned industrial city and now the cultural hub of the north of England, it is in its lifeforce.
For years, those with Mancunian blood in their veins were spoilt for choice whatever they wanted to follow, as long as you were either red or blue - United or City - to be true.
But for a moment almost two decades ago, one man walked the streets and the towpaths, the bleachers and the canvas, to unite them in pursuit of a common cause.
Ricky Hatton's heroics weren't just another string to Manchetser's bow of sporting success - they were a gamechanger that brought their boxing identity to a new level.
Since his retirement from the ring however, a local hero has been in short supply. Plenty of fighters have moved through the city in the interim, Tyson Fury among them.
Yet not one has quite bridged the cultural identity of a space defined by its status as the engine room of northern England, the veritable Damascus of the Pennines.
Jack Catterall has long been feted as the likely successor - but last month, another bid to challenge for a world title came off the rails as he lost to Arnold Barboza Jr..
This weekend, only a matter of miles away from the city's Co-op Live where his stablemate came up short however, one man is preparing for his professional debut.
If the hype is believed, it will be the first step on the road to global dominance for Pat 'Bomber' Brown - and those around him believe he can bring back the big nights for good.
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Days before his professional debut - formerly due to be Vladimir Reznicek, before he was replaced by Federico Javier Grandone - the former Olympian is hard at work.
Hopes had been high for Brown last summer when he headed across the English channel to compete in the heavyweight division at Paris 2024, tipped for medal success.
Instead, he fell by split decision in the first round to Brazil's Keno Marley Machado and was left to head home early, empty-handed and mulling his next steps on the canvas.
A pro turn always seemed the likely option, but with whom would be the question. Frank Warren and Queensberry had built a reputation for nuturing heavyweights after all.
But it was with Matchroom and Eddie Hearn that Brown took his chance, with the former promising that his latest charge could progress through the ranks to major success.
"There’s something real about the backing for Pat," he said. “I love developing these lads. It’s the best part of the job for me. Sometimes you meet someone and you just know.
"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.”
With the transition from amateur status, Brown will be determined to deliver on that promise, especially as he eyes up a cruiserweight division with no shortage of stars too.
Yet it is the local passion and zeal he has inspired that has many wondering if he could follow in the fooststeps of his idol and make the move towards hometown hero status.
John Gichigi/Getty Images
When Hatton fought in his prime, it was an event. Few things can get a city the size of Manchester to stop and stare, but the Hitman did, whether fighting home or away.
Brown has made no secret of his admiration for the Hall of Famer. How could he not? Fighters raised in this part of the world over the past quarter-century are indebted to him.
Like Hatton, he understands community can be the backbone of success. You only have to be on the streets of Sale for a half-hour before you bump into someone who knows him.
There is a clear affection for the world he has inhabited - an affection that can sometimes feel at odds with the dominant ruthlessness he displayed in his amateur career.
"You can see he's a menace," trainer Jamie Moore notes. "He's such a nice guy - amicable, so laid back - but stick a pair of boxing gloves on him and the switch just goes."
That affection has been repaid thricefold. When Brown makes his debut in the relatively inauspicious surroundings of Altrincham's Planet Ice, it will be as a headliner.
Few stars are afforded such a luxury in their first pro bout, even in relatively small-scale venues such as this one. It is a testament to the love and regard his fans already have.
Hatton had Manchester in the palm of his hand at the peak of his powers. As Brown takes aim at the big time, he hopes that he can follow his footsteps all the way to the top.
"[I want] to bring back them Ricky Hatton days in Manchester," he has said. "That's what always gets me going, have some good wars and good boxing fights."
If his dream becomes a reality, then there will be another local hero to cheer - and The Bomber could well make his way to the top of the tree just like the Hitman before him.
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