John Hedges vs Pat Brown Preview: Domestic Dust-Up Heads to Manchester

Rising prospect Pat Brown returns to the ring in his toughest test to date when he squares off against unbeaten English champion John Hedges, with featherweight contender Shabaz Masoud looking to continue his rise towards a potential world title fight.

Hedges enters the biggest fight of his career with a perfect 12-0 record, possessing valuable ten-round experience which could be crucial in this fight. Even with his English title, he is the underdog this weekend but has everything to gain in this contest.

The 24-year-old has slowly built his career up to this point, and his successful amateur career, with over 40 victories, has been the foundation for his transition into the professional game.

The biggest win of his career so far came when he comfortably outboxed Ellis Zorro to defend his English title. In this fight, he displayed a composed performance against an experienced opponent like Zorro.

This weekend is an emotional one for Hedges as it marks a year since Ricky Hatton’s passing. Hedges and Hatton were close, with the prospect receiving advice and training from the late legend.

Brown enters this contest with a perfect 6-0 record, with all six victories coming by knockout, demonstrating his thunderous power. The Mancunian will have the crowd behind him as he tries to achieve domestic success.

Like his opponent, Brown has an amateur pedigree, representing Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Turning professional in March 2025, he was immediately backed by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing.

Although this is a big step at an early stage of his career, the 26-year-old has already picked up the IBF Inter-Continental title with a highlight-reel stoppage against Vasil Ducar.

The question for Brown this weekend will be whether he can utilise his amateur experience and boxing IQ to set up his damaging shots due to the step up in competition. We know that Brown has the power, and if he connects, it could be fight-altering.

With only three TKO victories to Hedges’ name, it would be wise for him to use his height and reach advantage, keep the fight at long range, dictate the pace and try to make Brown miss before countering effectively.

If Hedges can navigate the early onslaught that Brown might bring and take the fight into the deeper stages, he could then take over and fight at a much higher pace before looking for a stoppage of his own.

For the 26-year-old, he could start fast to establish himself in the ring and command the centre. It is also important for Brown to compose himself and not waste any punches.

Brown has shown over his six fights an ability to use a variety of shots to set up his finishes. He has a pressure-heavy style which can fatigue his opponents, and then the finish can become inevitable.

In the co-main event, we see the return of former British and European super-bantamweight champion Shabaz Masoud as he steps up to the featherweight division for the first time in his career.

Masoud has looked very impressive in his career, boasting a record of 15-0 with four stoppages. ‘The Maverick’ has showcased some high-level boxing displays and statement performances against two promising fighters, Peter McGrail and Liam Davies.

His opponent this weekend will be looking to spoil Masoud’s featherweight debut and make a name for himself. With 13 knockouts, Mansilla does possess power that could cause Masoud problems.

All eyes will be on the main event in Manchester, and for good reason, with two young unbeaten fighters meeting early in their careers in an attempt to become a marquee name in the cruiserweight division.

The co-main event is also worth watching as one of the best contenders in British boxing, Shabaz Masoud, moves up a weight class and looks to make a statement to the rest of the featherweight division.