By Dean Parr
Newmarket's local hero, Pat McAleese, 9-0 (2 early), fights Dee Mitchell this weekend in his hometown. He caught up with BoxingScene.com to talk about his last fight, ticket selling and the improvements he's made as a fighter.
"I think that was a little step up in class," said Pat of his last foe, Darren Gethin, who he beat comfortably on points by a margin of 60-55. "This was because he'd won a few 'Area' titles and a British Masters belt, so he can't be too much of a mug if he's winning them titles.
“I handled him fine, he never hurt me and he looked like he'd been hit by a bus by the end of the fight. He was cut, bruised and could hardly see out of one eye, and because it was a bit of a step up, I think I raised my level because sometimes you can drop down to the level of your opponent - we're trying to step up with each fight now."
Indeed, Pat lauds the effect Johnny Eames has had on his fighting, and reckons he is getting better all the time. "I'm a totally different fighter to when I debuted," acknowledged McAleese, "And especially in the last two or three fights, there's been a massive change, and everything is starting to come together now.
“With all the things we do in the gym, everything's clicking into place. For example, when I started, I had no head movement, and when I first came to the gym, I was walking in with my face and taking shots. Then, I ended up with too much head movement, and now, it's just right, and not only that, I'm throwing the right shots to go with it. I'm now showing controlled aggression and controlled pressure, thinking about everything I do."
Pat has become infamous for his ticket selling abilities in his local area. For his fight on Saturday, he sold 900 tickets in three days, and there is no chance of him becoming any less popular any time soon.
"There's probably only five or six fighters in the country that sell 800 or 900 tickets in the first week, and I'm still selling them now," declared Pat proudly. "I'm a promoters' dream come true, but Johnny Eames isn't letting me sign with anyone because I'm improving all the time, and he wants me to keep improving before I sign with anyone.
"I sell 30 grand's worth of tickets, and I've only had nine fights. I'm a bit of a local celebrity, and when I go out, everyone knows who I am in Newmarket, and I get invited to things like local functions. There's a big charity race going on here as well soon, and I've been asked to start that, and things like this are quite nice sometimes! In Newmarket, they're very interested in their sport and they get behind people, and I think that will help me big style."
The light-middeweight also explained how his fan base has expanded since the teething days of his career. "It's grown massively," said Pat. "In my first fight I sold 200 tickets. People say to me, ‘I don't even know that many people!’ It's just how it's happened, and even as an amateur I used to sell loads of tickets.
“I think it's going to keep growing as well, because every time, new people are coming along, and I think if I do get a title fight, I'll sell a thousand easily. For me though, it's all about enjoying it, and it clicks in well with my personal training too and I'm earning a good living as well with that outside of boxing."
