Alnwick boxer Cyrus Pattinson ready to rock Newcastle Arena in biggest fight to date

North East boxer Cyrus Pattinson insists his life is going to change on Saturday because he is confident of claiming the vacant WBA International welterweight title.

The Alnwick-born boxer fights former British and Commonwealth champion Chris Jenkins at Newcastle Arena.

The 27-year-old has won all five of his fights since turning professional in 2021, with three knockouts and Cyrus says he is confident of making it six wins at the weekend.

Pattinson said: "I know that obviously he's got some good accolades and accomplishments - he's a former British champion, he's got superior experience as a professional to me - but I'm very confident.

"I imagine winning the title every day. I think about that every day.

"It is the biggest fight, the biggest opportunity, the biggest arena but cometh the hour, cometh the man. I know that this fight is going to be life-changing and on Saturday night my life is going to change."

The welterweight boxer was not always sure about a career in the sport of boxing. As a boy, he played football, but eventually pulled on the gloves and has never looked back since.

Pattinson said the sport helped him to get his life back on track after getting into trouble as a teenager.

He said: "I was getting into trouble in school and getting into trouble out of school and I don't know what it was, there was some kind of attraction to the boxing side of things.

"I won my first nine fights I think and suddenly I started doing better in school and better out of school and it kind of steered my life and that's how I found boxing."

Of those supporting him in the crowd at Newcastle Arena on Saturday night, his Dad Shaun said he will be the proudest to see his son succeed, after admitting he did not always think his son would make it as a boxer after he took up the sport as a teenager.

He said: "His first fight was Scott Fitzgerald and I asked his brother who is Scott Fitzgerald and he told me he was a gold commonwealth medalist. I thought that was us like.

"I asked Cyrus what are you going to do and he said he was going to put it on him and he put it on him, just blew him away, just unbelievable.

"From that moment, I've never doubted him again."

Pattinson said his proudest moment on Saturday will be when he steps into the ring as the headline fight at his local arena.

He added: "It will definitely be a proud moment headlining Newcastle Arena, especially it being so early in my career. It is somewhere I always drive past, when I go to the gym and stuff.

"It is in the town centre, there are concerts, everything that is on there. When I was younger, starting boxing, Newcastle Arena was the pinnacle."

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