Manchester boxer Patrick Brown qualifies for Paris 2024 Olympics
Manchester-born and bred boxer Patrick Brown has officially qualified for the 2024 Olympics after an impressive display in the final bouts of the Road to Paris event in Italy earlier this week.
The local fighter based out of the Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club and Sale West ABC sealed his place as part of the Team GB Boxing squad travelling to the French capital this summer following his unanimous win over Poland’s Mateusz Bereznicki.
Pat emerged victorious in the impressive heavyweight matchup and it’s safe to say there’s plenty to be excited about with one of our own heading to the Olympic Games in July.
Having only been with GB Boxing for just a couple of years and fought 21 amateur fights, it was a great achievement for the native talent to be the first to qualify for the big stage in just a few months’ time.
Speaking on the clubs so close to his heart, Brown said: “Words can’t describe how I feel. I could cry my eyes out! I’m just showing to my amateur club at Moss Side Fire Station and Sale ABC, and the kids there, that if they keep going and work hard, anything is possible.”
As for the club itself, they shared images of numerous aspiring athletes training hard taking a well-earned break to cheer on Pat and witness him get past his opponent in fine fashion, scoring 30-27 across the board.
Celebrating the result from an alumnus of the disused fire station, Greater Manchester Fire Rescue Service’s (GMFRS) Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russel said: “I’m incredibly proud of Pat, all the trainers and coaching staff at Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club.
“To qualify for the Olympics 2024 is a phenomenal achievement and I wish Pat the very best of luck in Paris.” You could tell how much it meant to the 24-year-old too — as well as his dad, who dedicated the landmark moment to.
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He went on to give special thanks to Moss Side Fire Station BC to head coach Nigel Travis, “who works tirelessly at the boxing club developing young people.”
“Raising aspirations through sport enables our service to work at the very heart of our local communities”, says Russel, adding: “I’m sure Pat’s incredible achievement will inspire other young people for many years to come.”
Set up by Travis back in 2008 alongside three other firefighters, the Moss Side Boxing Club remains a key pillar of the wider community work done by the GMFRS’ Safer Communities and Interventions Team, working with young people across the region to build confidence, self-esteem, as well as fitness and skills through mentoring from positive role models — something well worth celebrating.
You can watch the full fight between Brown and Bereznicki down below and we wish Pat and the rest of his team all the very best at the Games later this year.
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Featured Images — Supplied/GB Boxing (via Getty/Instagram)