John Hedges

Bio

Right then, John Hedges is the quiet one in British cruiserweight boxing, and that suits him perfectly. Out of Takeley in Essex, born in April 2002, he has gone twelve fights without losing one and picked up the English cruiserweight title along the way in May of last year. Three knockouts in twelve says everything about how he wins: he does not blow people out, he takes them apart over rounds.

The nickname is The Gentleman and it is not marketing. He is a southpaw who boxes like somebody who has been taught properly rather than somebody who has been told he is special. Feet underneath him, jab working, body shots that mean something. In an era where every prospect wants a viral knockout, Hedges has been happy to bank rounds and learn his trade.

He was trained by the late Ricky Hatton, and the influence shows in the body work and in the willingness to be in a fight rather than merely near one. That partnership ended in the worst way possible in September 2025, and Hedges has carried it with him since.

Make no mistake, the step up is here now. He faces Pat Brown at Co-op Live in Manchester for the British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles, away from home, against a Team GB Olympian who has stopped everybody he has faced. Hedges has gone into it happy to be the underdog, which is the right attitude and possibly the right read. If he gets past round ten he wins that fight.

He is 24 with twelve professional fights and an English belt already. Whatever happens on Saturday, this is a proper prospect who has done it the hard way round.