EARLIER this year, North-East boxer Pat McCormack was forced to alter his preparations for the Commonwealth Games when his trainers stepped in. After one brawl too many, the Birtley Boxing Club prodigy was banned from fighting his brother.

Birtley seems to specialise in sibling rivalry, and after Jon-Lewis and Travis Dickinson graduated through the Tyneside club to join the professional ranks, Pat and Luke McCormack are the latest duo to have burst onto the national and international scene.

This afternoon, 19-year-old Pat begins his pursuit of a Commonwealth Games gold when he takes on Welshman Joseph Cordina in the opening round of the lightweight category.

Twin brother Luke, younger by a matter of minutes, should have been in Glasgow with him, but an illness that forced him to pull out of the ABA Championships in April scuppered his chances of selection.

“It would have been great if we could both have been here at the Commonwealth Games together, and Luke was absolutely gutted when he was ill and missed out,” said McCormack, who now spends most of time at British Boxing’s high-performance centre in Sheffield.

“We’re not allowed to spar anymore because it gets out of hand too easily. As soon as he hits me with a good shot, I want to hit him with a better shot and it just turns into a war.

“The coach has had to get in the ring at times to pull us apart. I always want to do better than him, but I still want him to do well – it’s definitely a friendly rivalry.”

It is also a rivalry that could dominate British boxing’s amateur ranks all the way to Rio in 2016, with both fighters hotly tipped to make the Olympic team provided their development continues along its current trajectory in the next two years.

Having won the World and European junior titles in 2011, Pat is no stranger to high expectations, and while this year’s senior ABA triumph came courtesy of a string of impressive victories, the teenager was not surprised by his seamless transition into the adult ranks.

“When I moved up to the seniors, everyone said it would be very different,” he said. “But I think I’ve just sailed through it to be honest.

“Having won the Worlds and Europeans as a junior, I’ve always rated myself quite highly and, to be honest, I think I’ve just taken that me.”

As a result, he will start as the lightweight favourite when his weight programme begins tomorrow, although the draw has arguably served up one of his toughest assignments in the very first round.

Cordina boasts a decent pedigree at British level, but it would still be a major surprise if McCormack was not too strong for him given his recent dominance in the domestic arena.

After that, there shouldn’t be too much in the draw to trouble him, and while some recent Commonwealth champions have failed to live up to their billing in the wake of the Games – Middlesbrough Simon Vallily won gold in 2010 but has struggled to make an impression since turning professional – McCormack’s decision to remain in the amateur ranks through to 2016 could pay major dividends.

“I’m definitely looking at getting a medal in Rio, and maybe even Tokyo as well before turning over into the professionals,” he said. “Since I first went to a boxing gym, I always knew boxing was the only thing for me.

“I left school and got a few jobs as a scaffolder before I decided to put all my eggs in one basket. Getting in the full-time squad has proved my decision was the right one, and hopefully both myself and Luke can live up to all the hype as the next big thing in the North-East.

“This is the biggest tournament I’ve been to in terms of the publicity, and it is a great chance to get in the public eye. I know people are calling me a prospect, but I don’t worry about the pressure. I just see it as an opportunity to go on to greater things.”