Cruiserweight hopeful Pat Brown handed Vasil Ducar his first stoppage defeat in four years to continue his early march up the world rankings.
Brown (6-0, 6 KOs) needed a little more time than usual to end Ducar’s five-fight winning streak. In his second headliner on the outskirts of Manchester at the Planet ICE in Altrincham, Brown finished the job in the eighth round, his longest distance since turning professional in March last year.
Ducar started to look out of his depth by the fourth round, with Brown landing a solid combination to the body followed by an uppercut. Ducar was on the canvas from a double left hook to the body in round five, making it to his feet on the eight-count and was saved by the bell, with Brown looking for the finish.
Ducar would hit the floor for a second time in round six. Brown walked his opponent down with multiple body shots. Then he landed a right uppercut followed by a left hook to send Ducar back to the canvas. With a minute left on the clock, Brown went for the ending, but Ducar hung on to hear another bell.
The ending came at the end of the eighth, with Brown scoring a third knockdown after another sustained attack to the body. Ducar was up early, having received a concussive punch, but referee Michael Alexander waved the fight off, to Ducar’s displeasure, with a few seconds left in the round.
“It’s the people in here tonight that mean more to me than anything,” Brown said after the victory. “I knew he [Ducar] would be tough, and that’s why I started slow. There are a lot of things to take from tonight. That performance is better than stopping him in the first or second round for me.”
Brown continues his rise to the cruiserweight rankings, winning the WBA International and IBF Intercontinental belts last night. Heading into the contest with Ducar, the 26-year-old sat in 14th (IBF) and 13th (WBA) place in the major governing bodies. However, Brown has been pursuing domestic matchups.
“I wanted to fight John Hedges [English champion] tonight, but it didn’t happen due to politics, so that ship has sailed in my head,” Brown added. “If John fights Ducar and proves he can mix it with me, then I’ll get in there with him, of course.”
Brown’s promoter Eddie Hearn has also expressed a desire to make that fight happen. “I’d like to make Pat vs. John for the British title,” Hearn added.
Hearn has been vocal in predicting a glittering career for the cruiserweight contender since signing the Manchester man last year.
“Ducar was the perfect opponent,” Hearn said. “We wanted rounds and got plenty of them. Pat is sometimes guilty of standing in there and taking a few too many, but he loves mixing it up. Ducar has gone the distance with a lot of world-class fighters, so for Pat to get him out of there inside the distance in just his sixth fight is impressive.”
Ducar has been a regular fixture in the British cruiserweight scene, having gone the distance with Chris Billam-Smith, Jordan Thompson, and Cheavon Clarke. Brown’s stoppage of the Czech champion was intended as a yardstick to compare against the domestic landscape at 200 pounds.
