2026-03-14 10:30:19
Prince Patel is proud to be “divisive” but feels frustrated that fellow boxers won’t “show up and fight” him.
The former IBO bantamweight champion would rather be “hated than ignored” but expressed his irritation that the attention he receives on social media hasn’t translated to high-profile fights.
He wrote in a column for Boxing News: “I know I’m divisive. Good. Some people like me. A lot of people don’t.
“But most of the ‘haters’ don’t actually know me – they know the character.
“They can’t separate what they see on a screen from the man behind it and that’s fine.
“In this business, it’s better to be hated than ignored. Every time I post, every time I speak, every time I breathe online, people react.
“Prince Patel = ratings! It means engagement. It means numbers. It means attention.
“But attention without opportunity is pointless. If so many people have so much to say about me, why won’t they show up to fight me?
“Even if they want to see me lose – buy the ticket. Tune in. That’s the whole point.”
Stressing he has always been a “clean athlete” who has never taken drugs, been racist, or violent towards women, Prince expressed his desire to face the “bad boys” in his sport.
He said: “Give me any of these so-called ‘bad boys’ the media love so much. The drug cheats. The women-beaters. The racists.
“Put me in there with them.
“Let’s see what a real man – a man who doesn’t need PEDs, who doesn’t hide behind controversy, and who doesn’t put his hands on women – can do.
“You don’t have to like me. But you will watch me. And that’s all that matters.”
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