Ricky Hatton Dies at 46
Former world boxing champion Ricky Hatton has died at the age of 46. He was found dead at his home on Bowlacre Road in Hyde,Greater Manchester,at 6:45 am today. Greater Manchester Police stated they are not treating the death as suspicious.
“Officers were called by a member of the public…where they found the body of a 46-year-old man. ther are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances,” a police spokesperson said.
Hatton, known for his aggressive fighting style, held world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight, becoming a hugely popular figure in British boxing during the early 2000s. He rose to prominence after a prosperous amateur and domestic career, challenging and facing some of the sport’s biggest names, including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao.
Hatton turned professional in 1997 with a victory over Colin McAuley in Widnes. He secured the British light-welterweight title in 2000 with a win over Jon Thaxton at Wembley Conference Center, and subsequently established Manchester’s MEN Arena as a key venue, defending his WBU light-welterweight crown there on multiple occasions.
A notable moment in his career came in June 2005 when he forced Kostya Tszyu to retire on his stool during their IBF title fight in his home city. He followed this with a points win over Luis Collazo in Boston in 2006, and a victory over Jose Luis Castillo in Las Vegas in 2007, solidifying his position as a world-class fighter.
Despite a brave performance, hatton suffered his first professional defeat against Floyd mayweather in 2007.A subsequent fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2009 resulted in a second-round loss, leading to his initial retirement.
Hatton faced challenges adjusting to life after boxing and briefly returned to the ring in 2012, losing to Vyacheslav Senchenko at his beloved home city arena after a three-year absence. He also participated in a non-scoring exhibition bout against marco Antonio Barrera in 2022.
Following a period of personal difficulties,including a fallout with his family and a legal dispute with former trainer Billy Graham,Hatton found success as a boxing trainer,notably coaching Zhanat Zhakiyanov to a world bantamweight title win in 2017. He had recently announced plans for a professional return to boxing in December, scheduled to fight Eisa Al Dah in Dubai.
