Michael Brodie

Michael “Mikie” Brodie is an English former professional boxer from Manchester who competed at super bantamweight and featherweight. An orthodox fighter, he boxed professionally from 1994 to 2009 and finished with 36 wins, four losses and one draw. He won 24 of his victories by knockout. He won British, Commonwealth and European honours at super bantamweight before making four attempts to win a major world title.

Brodie made his professional debut in Manchester on 3 October 1994, stopping Graham McGrath in the fifth round. He progressed to the British super bantamweight title in March 1997, knocking out Neil Swain in the tenth round at the Wythenshawe Forum. Later that year he won the vacant Commonwealth title against Wilson Docherty, then defended it against Brian Carr in January 1998. He added the European title by knocking out Drew Docherty in the sixth round at York Hall in October 1999. Those results established him as one of Britain’s leading fighters at the weight.

His first world title contest came in September 2000 against Willie Jorrín for the vacant WBC super bantamweight championship. Brodie had entered unbeaten, but Jorrín took a majority decision after twelve rounds. The verdict was disputed, and Brodie subsequently moved up to featherweight. He won the World Boxing Foundation title in 2002 and the International Boxing Organisation title in June 2003, when he outpointed Juan Cabrera despite severe swelling around his left eye. Those belts were steps towards another challenge for the WBC championship.

That challenge brought In Jin Chi to Manchester in October 2003. An accidental clash of heads in the opening seconds left Brodie bleeding from the top of his head, and Chi knocked him down in the second round. Brodie recovered to make sustained use of body punches and fought the Korean through twelve demanding rounds. Chi was initially announced as the winner, but a correction to the scoring changed the verdict to a majority draw. The WBC featherweight title remained vacant.

In their April 2004 rematch, also in Manchester, Chi knocked Brodie out in the seventh round and took the championship. Brodie returned in June 2005 to challenge Scott Harrison for the WBO featherweight title. Harrison’s heavier punching, particularly to the body, ended the contest in the fourth. Brodie announced his retirement immediately afterwards. He had been capable of boxing with movement and combinations, but his willingness to stand and trade had made several of his most important contests punishing ones.

The retirement lasted four years. Brodie returned under Ricky Hatton’s promotion in August 2009 and stopped Mark Alexander in the fourth round, having himself been knocked down twice and cut. His next fight, against fellow Mancunian Anthony Crolla that November, ended in a third-round stoppage defeat. Brodie did not box professionally again.

Brodie’s record includes three successive levels of recognised domestic and European success, together with a draw against the man who became WBC featherweight champion. He never won that title himself. His two contests with Chi remain the clearest account of his strengths: sound combination punching, determined body work and the capacity to recover under pressure. They also show the physical demands that marked the latter part of his career.