Former world boxing champion Hatton dies aged 46

LONDON: British boxing great Ricky Hatton, a former two-division world champion, has died at the age of 46, the World Boxing Association said on Sunday.

Nicknamed ‘the Hitman’, Hatton won the WBA, IBO and IBF light-welterweight titles and the WBA welterweight world championship during his 15-year professional career before retiring in 2012.

“A true champion, an indomitable spirit and a legend of the sport. Your legacy will live on in every fight and in the hearts of boxing fans around the world,” the WBA posted on Instagram.

Greater Manchester Police said that a body had been found on Sunday morning at an address in Hyde in the northern English city.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious,” a police spokesperson said.

Hatton had 45 wins in 48 bouts over his career but in the years after he retired he said he had tried to kill himself several times and had been open about his struggle with depression, drink and drugs.

“I was coming off the rails with my drinking and that led to drugs. It was like a runaway train,” he told BBC radio in 2016.

Hatton became an ambassador for the mental health charity Campaign Against Living Miserably in 2023.

The crowning moment of Hatton’s career in the ring came in 2005 when he stopped Australian Kostya Tszyu in a brutal duel in Manchester to add the IBF light-welterweight title to the WBU belt he already held.

He had a perfect 43-0 record until he was floored by Floyd Mayweather Jr in Las Vegas in 2007 and was never the same again. Hatton’s second loss came in 2009, when Manny Pacquiao knocked him out.

“I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Ricky Hatton. He was not only a great fighter inside the ring but also a brave and kind man in life,” Pacquiao wrote on X.

“We shared unforgettable moments in boxing history and I will always honour the respect and sportsmanship he showed.”

British former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan described Hatton as “a friend, a mentor, a warrior.”

“Ricky, thank you for everything. For your fights, your moments of glory, your grit. Thank you for pushing us, showing us what’s possible … you’ll always have your place in the ring of our memories,” Khan said on X.

Hatton was a lifelong Manchester City fan and wore sky blue shorts, matching the soccer club’s colours, in most of his bouts. The Premier League club held a thunderous minute’s appreciation ahead of their derby against Manchester United on Sunday with both sets of supporters paying their respects.

“Ricky was one of City’s most loved and revered supporters … everyone at the club would like to send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends,” City added.