John Hedges honored the late Ricky Hatton by wearing a T-shirt featuring the image of his former trainer as he weighed in for his upcoming fight against Pat Brown in Manchester. Hatton, a two-time world champion known as the "Hitman," passed away at his home in September 2025 at the age of 46. After retiring from boxing in 2012, Hatton transitioned into coaching, and Hedges, a 24-year-old from Essex, trained under him. Hatton was in Hedges' corner when he won the English cruiserweight title in May 2025. During the weigh-in at Manchester's New Century Hall, Hedges faced a crowd that largely supported local fighter Pat Brown. The atmosphere was not welcoming for Hedges, who was booed by some in attendance. Despite this, Hedges remained unfazed, pointing to the image of Hatton on his shirt and stating that the reaction was expected. "This isn't a hostile atmosphere, this is second nature to me," he said. "I've boxed at a high level as an amateur and this is what you get used to." Hedges, who has remained undefeated in his 12 professional fights, is set to face Brown, who has won all six of his bouts by knockout. The fight is for the vacant British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles. Originally scheduled to take place at Planet Ice in Altrincham, the event was moved to the larger Co-op Live arena due to high demand for tickets. Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom expected a crowd of around 5,000 people for the event. Brown, who represented Team GB at the 2024 Olympics, has a strong following in his home city of Manchester and was greeted with chants of "Oh, Patrick the Bomber," referencing his nickname. While Brown appeared relaxed during media engagements earlier in the week, he showed intensity after both fighters officially weighed in at 14st 3lb (90kg). "This is what I was born to do," Brown said. "Since I was seven years old and my dad took me into the gym — this is what I was born to do."