By Elliot Raines: Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn was ecstatic about cruiserweight prospect Pat Brown’s second-round knockout win over 37-year-old former WBA interim light heavyweight champion Felix Valera (24-9, 21 KOs) last Saturday night, calling him an “absolute Diamond” in his performance on the undercard at the Caribe Royale Orlando, Orlando, Florida.
(Credit: Zachariah Delgado Matchroom Boxing)
Eddie Hearn’s “Absolute Diamond” Shines Bright
After a slow first round, the 25-year-old Pat Brown (5-0, 5 KOs) dropped Valera three times in round two, prompting referee Alicia Collins to halt the fight at 1:29 of the round. After the third knockdown from a right uppercut from Brown that left Valera face down on the canvas, the referee Collins didn’t bother to give a count. She waved it off at 1:29 of the round.
In the first minute of round two, Brown connected with a big left-hand temple shot, causing Valera to back away and go down in a delayed reaction. Up to the count of eight, Valera’s eyes looked glazed, and one could tell that he wasn’t going to last much longer.
Brown’s Crude Power Gets the Job Done
Moments later, Valera went down again, this time from a left hook. After the referee gave Valera a once-over, she allowed the fight to continue. Instead of fighting smartly by moving and tying up Brown, Valera went all out, throwing combinations, connecting with a couple, but then eating a right uppercut to the head that sent him down face-first on the canvas. This time, the referee Collins halted the fight. She had no choice.
Valera was so hurt that and needed to be peeled off the canvas by Brown and the referee. It was a classy move by Brown to help Valera up because he was in bad shape and looked like he couldn’t have gotten up without help.
“Manchester’s Rocky Marciano” Is Born
“In his fifth fight. To go through a guy like Valera, a former world champion [WBA interim light heavyweight belt-bolder from 2015 to 2016],” said Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn to DAZN, praising cruiserweight Pat Brown’s second-round knockout win over 37-year-old Felix Valera last Saturday night.
Valera looked so bad last night that it was hard to see how good Brown is because he had such a poor opponent in front of him. From watching Brown’s performance, I saw a 30-ish looking fighter destroying a hapless journeyman that didn’t belong in the ring with him. It was hard for me to believe that Pat Brown is only 25, as he looks in his early 30s at least.
“We saw him out last time against Golden Boy’s prospect Tristan Kalkreuth, who was a very good fighter. He [Valera] gave him a really hard 10 rounds. Pat does the same thing every time from the first round. He comes out and measures and measures. To me, tonight, that’s my new name for him, ‘Manchester’s Rocky Marciano,’” said Hearn about the 25-year-old Pat Brown.
Pat’s style of fighting is rather crude and Neanderthal-like, similar in a way to the late former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. With his lack of hand speed and mobility, Brown has no choice but to continue fighting the way he does because he’s never going to possess the blazing hand speed of Jai Opetaia or the mobility of some of the more spry cruiserweights.
He is what he is, a Neanderthal-esque slugger and not a young-looking one at that. Hearn needs to move Pat Brown as fast as he can because he might not have a long shelf life in his career.
A Quartz Gem, Not a Diamond?
“This kid is going to go all the way. He’s such a massive problem for every cruiserweight in the world. We’ve got this absolute diamond on our hands in Pat Brown. Tonight, he made his U.S debut in his fifth fight. They know we’ve got something special. He’s 25,” said Hearn, banging on about Brown.
I don’t see Brown as a “diamond.” He’s more of a quartz gem than a diamond in my book. Brown will do well as long as Hearn matches him carefully.
Like heavyweight contender Moses Itauma, Pat Brown didn’t have much of an amateur career. He had 23 fights under his belt in the amateur ranks before turning pro. He hadn’t looked like 24k gold as an amateur the way some fighters do before entertaining the professional ranks.
Elliot Raines has covered British and European boxing since 2010. Known for his sharp pen and low tolerance for hype, Raines dissects the sport’s politics, promoters, and paper champions with dry precision.