RICKY HATTON explained just four days before his death that he wanted to be remembered as “one of the boys”.
The 46-year-old British legend was found
Ricky Hatton gave a magnificent interview just days before his death aged just 46
The Manchester legend opened up with trademark honesty and explained how he would like to be remembered
Darren Barker sat down with the Manchester hero in his gym and delved deep into into his iconic career and legacy
And an interview he did with former middleweight world champion Darren Barker, on September 9, can now be confirmed as his last.
In a heartbreaking 90-minute podcast, the two-weight hero tells brilliant stories about his boxing breakthrough, his failed careers as a carpet fitter and salesman, and his rise from council estate rascal to national treasure.
And he said being adored as much as Frank meant more to him than any belt or pound note he ever earned with his blood, sweat and tears.
He told Barker: “I am so proud when people say “our Frank” and “our Ricky”.
“I am not saying we were the best but we were probably the two most loved.
“I was a man of the people, a jack-the-lad, the boy-next-door, who couldn’t give two s**** and said it the way it is.
“The best thing that came out of my retirement was the love that I got from the fans.
“People remember me as a helluva fighter but also as one of the boys.”
Hatton wrestled with depression and addiction problems after his 2007 loss to and again after the brutal 2009 defeat to Manny Pacquiao.
But he could walk into any local pub or stadium and be cheered to the rafters and never have to pay for a pint of Guinness.
That unshakable working-class attitude set him apart from so many sports and showbiz celebrities and – even after his incredible 2005 world title win over pound-for-pound No1 Kostya Tszyu – it never left him.
And it will be what he is remembered for, forever, and he would not have swapped it for the world.
“I would rather be Ricky Hatton than the greatest of all time but have everyone think I’m a d***head.”
Ricky Hatton
He said: “Whenever I go into Manchester for a beer – which, now I am older, isn’t as often as it used to be – I always get a couple of people come up to me and say they were there.
“June just gone was the twenty year anniversary. I don’t know where those twenty years went.
“Life changed for me and my kids and my family the moment I beat Kostya Tszyu. But I don’t think I changed too much.
“Even today, the gym that I run and the house that I have are all only 10 minutes away from the council estate I grew up on. I haven’t moved out of a 10-mile radius.
Manchester City had paid megnificent tributes to The Hitman who loved the club
Fellow City fans and Manchester heroes Liam and Noel Gallagher have honoured him
“Even with all the nice things I achieved through boxing, I still go down my local and play darts on a Monday night and play football for the vets on a Sunday afternoon.
“My mates now are still the same mates I went to school with, no late newcomers, always the same mates.
“Life changed for me, but I don’t think I changed.
“And I think that’s where the fanbase has come from.
“Little kids, even now, come up to me and ask for photos and they have never seen me live, they’ve just watched me on YouTube.
“The love that the fans have for me is because of the way I am.
“I would rather be than the greatest of all time but have everyone think I’m a d***head.”
“People remember me as a helluva fighter but also as one of the boys.”
Ricky Hatton
Just days before his, Hatton
It was exactly the sort of selfless thing the former super-light and welterweight Hall-of-Famer was known for, especially after battling his own demons.
He told 43-year-old Barker: “Look at the things, positive things, I have been able to do and inspire others.
“And that’s because I went to speak to someone and that’s my job today, I am a trainer and I want to pass stuff on, if I can pass on even half of what I got from boxing.
“Some of my boxers tell me they have paid their mortgages off and thank me, that’s what it’s all about for me.
“If I can speak to someone about mental health and tell them to get it off their chest and not hold it in.
“I get letters in the post from people I have helped or inspired, that helps me, because it makes me feel good that I have helped others.”
Ricky Hatton's biggest boxing wins
By
Paulie Malignaggi, November 2008
In his first fight since splitting with long-time trainer Billy Graham, Hatton dominated Malignaggi in one of his best displays of boxing.
Coached by Floyd Mayweather Sr, Hatton would earn a 2009 fight with Manny Pacquiao, which ended in a horrifying KO loss.
Luis Collazo, May 2006
Hatton dropped the veteran American in the opening seconds of round one and looked on course for a demolition job.
But he was taken to the brink over 12 rounds but held on to victory – earning him a super-fight with Floyd Mayweather at welterweight a year later.
Kostya Tszyu, June 2005
Russian-born Aussie Tszyu was behind only Floyd Mayweather in the pound-for-pound rankings when he travelled to Manchester.
And Hatton pulled off a career-best win to stop Tszyu in the 11th round of what was a brutal war. He became light-welterweight world champ.
Eamonn Magee, June 2002
Hatton was dropped by the Irishman and looked to be on the brink of defeat.
But he got to his feet and rallied back to win over 12 rounds – showcasing his trademark grit and determination.
Jon Thaxton, October 2000
Hatton had to overcome a nasty cut – not for the first time in his career – to edge out a points win.
It won him the British light-welterweight title.
