Eddie Hearn has hailed the latest fighter to his Matchroom fold, and believes he can follow in the footsteps of Ricky Hatton, Josh Warrington and Anthony Crolla as a fighter for the people as well as a champion.
Former GB Olympian Pat Brown has joined forces with Hearn, and his transition from the amateur ranks was announced at a media conference in Manchester, surrounded by 300 family members and friends of the 25-year-old.
Speaking about the Brown to Sports Boom, Hearn bigged up his community and the role they could play in the fighter's progression in the sport.
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He said: "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.”
Hearn plans to fast-track Brown through the cruiserweight division and has high hopes for the Manchester-born fighter thanks to the character he has seen in him.
"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,” added Hearn.
“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.”
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