Pat Brown stops John Hedges in sixth to win British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles

Pat Brown stopped John Hedges in the sixth round to claim the British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on 19 September 2026. The 26-year-old extended his professional record to seven wins, all by knockout, while Hedges suffered the first defeat of his 13-fight pro career.

Brown, who represented Team GB at the 2024 Olympics, fought in front of a 5,000-strong crowd after the contest was moved from Altrincham to East Manchester because of ticket demand. The Co-op Live Arena crowd greeted Brown’s ringwalk with his father and booed Essex fighter Hedges, with chants of "Oh Patrick the Bomber" and "Sale" audible as the fight began. Speaking to BBC Sport on Wednesday with a view of Old Trafford in the background, Brown described winning the British title in his hometown as "special."

Hedges began the contest with an awkward style that gave him the early advantage, using sharp footwork and timely holding to disrupt Brown’s rhythm. Brown started slowly but began to find his range with the jab in the fifth, punctuating that round with a right uppercut. In the sixth, a thudding left hook to the body dropped Hedges; he beat the count but was floored again by the same body shot and was unable to rise, prompting the stoppage.

An emotional Brown spoke on DAZN after the fight: "I don't care about all of the belts, it's for my family and my people," he said. "I've had a childhood with them all but I had to go off-grid to train and they've always stayed behind me. "And for Ross - my cousin, who I love dearly - I said to him I would go all the way and I will." He had previously said that "putting belts on his dad's shoulders" was all that mattered.

Hedges paid tribute to Manchester icon Ricky Hatton at the weigh-in after the first anniversary of his death passed on 14 September, and his early tactics had kept Brown at bay through the opening rounds. Despite that start, Brown’s jab and body work shifted momentum from the fifth round and culminated in the decisive left hook to the midsection in round six.

Brown said he wants to go on the "journey" beyond domestic honours, a route contrasted in the build-up with fighters who skipped the British title and suffered setbacks, such as Moses Itauma and Conor Benn, while other recent British cruiserweight champions, Chris Billam-Smith and Lawrence Okolie, have gone on to win world honours. The report noted the possibility of targeting European title holder Viddal Riley, the 29-year-old who last fought in April and secured a unanimous points decision over Mateusz Masternak, and Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn added: "Pat Brown, world championship, Old Trafford. I see it."

Brown leaves Manchester with the British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles and has expressed ambitions beyond domestic silverware, including headlining at Old Trafford, which he has said would mean more to him than the belts.