By George Flood
Copyright standard
An inquest into the death of Ricky Hatton has provisionally confirmed that the British boxing icon died by hanging.
Hatton was found unresponsive at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester on September 14, with police confirming that there were no suspicious circumstances. He was 46.
An inquest into Hatton’s death opened at South Manchester Coroner’s Court in Stockport on Thursday morning, where a provisional cause of death was given as hanging.
Police coroner’s officer Alison Catlow told the inquest that Hatton had last been seen by his family on September 12 and “appeared well”, but missed an event on September 13 that he had been expected to attend.
Hatton’s body was found on September 14 by his long-time manager Paul Speak, who had been due to drive him to Manchester Airport for a flight to Dubai, where Hatton was scheduled to promote his exhibition fight against Eisa Al Dah in December.
Mr Speak attended Thursday’s 10-minute hearing on behalf of the Hatton family. The inquest was adjourned until March 20, 2026.
Hatton was laid to rest last Friday, with thousands of people lining the streets for his funeral procession through Manchester before and after a private ceremony held at Manchester Cathedral, which was attended by boxers past and present and a number of other sporting stars and celebrities, including Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, Tyson Fury and Wayne Rooney.
The journey began at his local pub, the Cheshire Cheese in Gee Cross, and his cortege paused outside Hatton’s Gym and passed Hyde Town Hall, Betta Bodies Gym and the AO Arena before visiting the Etihad Stadium, home of Hatton’s beloved Manchester City.
Hatton – nicknamed ‘The Hitman’ – is one of the most popular British sporting figures of modern times, having held world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight during an illustrious professional boxing career that began in 1997 and ended with a short-lived comeback in 2012.
His unforgettable stoppage victory over the previously undefeated Kostya Tszyu in Manchester in 2005, which made him a world champion for the first time, remains among the most memorable wins for any British fighter ever.
The down-to-earth Hatton’s enduring popularity as a people’s champion was evidenced by the thousands of fans that would follow him overseas for his fights, including for huge showdowns in America with the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr, Manny Pacquiao, Luis Collazo, Jose Luis Castillo and Paulie Malignaggi.
Hatton retired in 2012 after defeat by Vyacheslav Senchenko but boxed Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera in an exhibition in Manchester in 2022 and a fight against Eisa Al Dah in Dubai on December 2 had been announced back in July.
Hatton was open about his struggles with depression and also battled issues with drink and drugs. Following Hatton’s death, his family and friends have set up the Ricky Hatton Foundation in his memory, which aims to raise awareness and education, provide support and remove the stigma around mental health challenges.
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