Total war. Mention of those two words must mean only one man: Cyrus Pattinson.
The 31-year-old is NEVER in a dull fight so do not take your eyes away from the third bout of the Alnwick southpaw’s comeback at Rainton Arena on Saturday.
Pattinson tops the VIP bill at the Houghton venue when he tackles Jose Maria Pombo over eight rounds. Should it get that far. Not that we would question the toughness of the Argentine, who has only been stopped three times in a 17-year professional career.
You would certainly never question the heart, ambition or passion of Cyrus, who is in the process of resurrecting his career.
Go back to the spring of 2023 he was one of Matchroom’s hot properties after he beat Chris Jenkins in a fight of the year contender as he went to 6-0 by lifting the WBA International welterweight title.
But with a massive Northumberland shoot-out with Lewis Ritson lined up, it all went horribly wrong for the ex-GB Boxing international talent in August 2023 when he was stopped by Conah Walker in Birmingham.
It got worse when Pattinson began to suffer blurred vision and feared his days as a boxer could be over. He spent months wearing a patch, unable even to train.
However, patience paid off and he was able to return almost 15 months to the day since that shock stoppage by Walker.
Cyrus returned last November, when he outpointed Andrei Antonov at the Walker Dome on Channel 5 and he was at it again in June in front of the C5 cameras at the Utilita Arena, where triumphed inside five rounds in what Boxing News labelled a ‘bloody bar-room brawl of an eight-rounder’.
Pattinson is not the only former Birtley ABC star to have been through the proverbial mill, but Calum French is back after a near two-year absence with a six-rounder against Manchester’s Dan Booth.
Injury has plagued the Gateshead southpaw, who was a top-drawer international in the amateur ranks with Birtley and GB Boxing, with whom he won a bronze medal at the 2017 European Championships, before launching a pro career with four straight victories under his old club coach, Graeme Rutherford.
With Graeme currently out of the sport, Calum has made the switch to Manchester, where he is working under Anthony Crolla.
“It’s an old cliché, but a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter,” French said in an interview with top boxing journalist and broadcaster, Dom McGuinness.
“This is where I’m meant to be. I felt that way as soon as I walked in the gym – it fitted me like a glove.
“I clicked with Ant straight away and with all the lads.”
French lost last time out to Jeff Ofori in November 2023 before his injury break but he is now back and raring to go and will be operating at welterweight.
Sunderland has two of its unbeaten boxers in action in two of the other six-threes at Rainton Arena.
Travis ‘Smash Time’ Waters, on the cusp of an English Championship shot, is chasing pro win number 12 against Colchester’s Ryan Frost.
His Tenacity team-mate, Beau Smith, who registered his first stoppage win last time out is aiming for a magnificent paid success against Derbyshire’s Jack Swallow.
Also going over six rounds is Middlesbrough heavyweight Michael Webster, who is looking to get back to winning ways following high-profile defeats against Solomon Dacres and Jeamie Tshilkeva. Webba tackles Bosnia’s Milos Veletic.
April Hunter is back after a 28-month absence when he fights over six-twos against Bojana Libiszewska.
Click here to read Hunter’s interview with punch-lines.
There is a quartet of four-rounders on the VIP event, including two Sunderland lads.
Eduard Georgiev (2-0-1) faces something you don’t see every Saturday, or any Saturday for that matter, a boxer from Peru, Cesar Ignacio Paredes (18-27-1).
Exciting Aaron Peter Bird (2-0) faces a familiar figure to North-East audiences, Brazilian Jonatas de Oliveira (6-34).
Elsewhere, Newcastle’s Lewis Ginnelly (3-0) has less exotic opposition in Leeds boxer Joe Hardy (5-38-1), no offence Joe, while on the subject of Yorkshire, York’s Joel Granger (1-0) faces a Roses match against Lancashire’s Dale Arrowsmith, who will be fighting for the 152nd occasion.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Jennifer Charlton
