BOXING CLEVER COLUMN EXCLUSIVE: Matchroom prospects Pat Brown and William Crolla have big ambitions which include Manchester United’s new stadium after manifesting dream on scaffolding job
Pat Brown and William Crolla are both dreaming of one day of fighting at Manchester United’s new stadium – but if things had worked out differently for their pair they could have been helping to build it.
The Manchester duo are sharing a card this Friday night when Paris 2024 Olympian Brown makes his professional debut and Crolla, brother of former world champion Anthony, has his eighth pro fight at Planet Ice in Altrincham.
But they once used to share building sites in the city centre when they were working as scaffolders. Crolla had a career break from boxing while Brown was a young amateur but both had big ambitions in the ring.
“I think our last job was together about five years ago, I quit after it to pursue boxing full time while Pat was aiming to get on the GB team,” said light-middleweight Crolla.
“It was on Princess House just off Mancunian way,” added Brown, who competed at heavyweight as an amateur but will box at cruiserweight as a pro. He was at level two and I was a labourer so I was doing a lot more of moving the kit and getting the kit to him.”
But they still had something in common. “One dinner time we were sat having a brew talking about what we want to do,” said Crolla, 26.
“Pat wanted to win the ABAs and go the Olympics, I was going to turn pro. We spoke it into existence and both of our plans went better than imagined.”
Brown, 25, said: “It was mad to think we were in a cabin on a building site and talking about our dreams so it is a special story for us.”
Ahead of their fights next Friday, the pair will be together Sunday at a Matchroom Run Club event which is part of a project to “unite communities, inspire positive change and support grassroots boxing initiatives.”
They’ll be doing the 5k run with fans which starts at Hotel Football, across the road from Old Trafford. Crolla is a diehard United fan who goes home and away to support his club, while Brown is also an avid supporter of the club.
But with the old ground where Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn once famously fought set to be knocked down in the future for a new one, the pair’s dreams are changing.
“Hopefully I’ll be fighting there instead of building it,” joked Crolla. “There’s dreams and there’s another level above that – fighting at the new stadium.”
Brown added: “We would have both loved to fight at Old Trafford but, with the new stadium taking five years, by then myself and Will be at the top of our game so if the stars align we can both fight at the new stadium.”