Giving Pain a Purpose: Cyrus Pattison on Boxing, Resilience, and Breaking the Cycle
For Mental Health Awareness Week, we are proud to share a guest post from professional boxer and Our Time ambassador, Cyrus Ramone Pattison. In this post, Cyrus opens up about his journey as a young carer, the devastating injury that nearly cost him boxing career, and why he believes life happens for you, not to you.
20 years down the drain, to be told you’ll never box again. Not only the career that your life and identity have been built around, but the medicine that has been used to escape and overcome life’s adversity has now expired. My home, car, pride, self-worth, and triumphs have all come through boxing, who am I without it?
I left the hospital later that night wearing an eye patch. My fight, due in a few months, was off. I couldn’t even train. The elevation in blood pressure could cause the injury to worsen and leave me blind. The biggest fight in my life had just begun.
My mam's mental illness (Schizoaffective disorder) caused heartache and anger growing up. Seeing the person you love suffer and not being able to help, and watching them change from the person you idolised to a stranger, was devastating. Being a kid but also a carer, meant dealing with the turbulent home life schizoaffective disorder brings like falling asleep in school after taking turns with my brother to stay awake through the night to look after our mam.
Boxing helped me escape. It became a necessity and something I couldn’t go a day without. Social workers and family memories checked in, but it couldn’t take this feeling inside away. I wanted my mam back. Our Time can give a child that support: a voice and a shoulder.
Through experience, I’ve learned that pain is the biggest catalyst for change. Change happens “when the pain of remaining the same, is greater than the pain of change.” With my life unraveling with schools and the police, I realised my situation could break me or shape me. I chose to give my pain a purpose and create something positive from an unfortunate situation.
Boxing started as an escape, but I realised I was excelling and passing the majority of my peers. Winning 10 of my first 11 fights only to lose to a multi-national champion in a 11-8 fight, made me realise I wasn’t doing too bad. Boxing gave my grief a place to go, rather than being stuck inside of me all day, everyday. I started performing better in school, and thankfully returned to the person I was brought up to be: considerate, caring, and polite. Winning the Tri-Nation gold medal was one of my favourite memories; it not only secured my spot on Team GB but it gave me the reason to drive straight to the hospital where my mam was staying and give her the gold. Sometimes I wonder, if my mam was healthy would I ever have been a fighter?
The first 6 months post-injury was the darkest, I felt powerless. I had to take it a day at a time. Some days I would be driven to walk 20 miles in the rain and snow, others I wouldn’t leave the house. The darkest thoughts and voices every day. All I did was pray. 6 months down the line, I was discharged with a full recovery and informed I could return to my life.
Even though there was a world of oceans to cross, I no longer felt helpless. Every day I looked at the progress, no matter how small. A little bit fitter, stronger, and lighter. These small wins compounded over weeks and months, which led to a winning return to the ring eleven months after my injury.
The road ahead was still never smooth sailing. I left Newcastle to continue my career under the guidance of Billy Nelson in Glasgow, Monday to Friday in a room above a bar with nothing more than a bed and my own air-fryer. Alone 23 hours of the day. Working weekends to pay the costs for my second chance. I asked myself many questions, but I answered them on the 18th of April 2026.
I won the Commonwealth International title. My first title fight in 20 months. After my first defeat as a professional, the termination of a life-changing fight contract, the loss of trainer, manager, promotor, team, a potential career-ending injury, the passing of my Nana and an endless mountain of effort to get back to where I was, I am now crowned a champion once again.
The greatest fight in life is life itself. You can’t forget that every day is a second chance. Don’t lose faith, and remember that as long as you don’t give up, you can’t be beat. Sometimes when you’re in a situation, your vision can become extremely unclear and the next step can feel impossible. Our Time can help. With more experience and expertise than any other organisation from stories like mine, they can be the impartial voice you can trust, with no other motive than helping you.
Life happens for you, not to you.
If you would like to support children and young people who are living with parental mental illness, please consider making a donation.
If you are affected by anything you hear in this podcast, there are people you can talk to for support. Shout provides free 24/7 mental health text support. Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258. You can also talk to the Samaritans for confidential, emotional support. Call 116 123 (UK & ROI) or email jo@samaritans.org (UK). Find out more about where to get help.
Media enquiries should be directed to office@ourtimecharity.org.uk
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