By Cameron Winstanley,Shaun Brown
Copyright dailystar
The roar of a Ricky Hatton fight night will never be forgotten – nor will the honesty with which he spoke about mental health . Now, the Daily Star and Manchester Evening News have pledged to honour his legacy by supporting two causes close to him. The much-loved boxer tragically died at his home on September 14, aged 46. On October 10, a service will be held at Manchester Cathedral honouring his life. Fans are expected to line the streets to pay their respects as the funeral procession makes its way to the cathedral. Hatton was, of course, best known for his achievements in the ring, culminating in his greatest night in June 2005 when he became IBF super-lightweight champion by defeating Kostya Tszyu . He went on to add a second world title at 140lbs and a third at welterweight, delivering many unforgettable nights in both the UK and America. Away from the ring, Hatton became a powerful voice in the mental health community, openly sharing his own struggles. On September 20, the campaign to continue his mental health legacy by raising funds for the charities CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and Andy’s Man Club was launched. CALM, for whom Hatton became an ambassador in 2023, runs a lifesaving helpline staffed by trained professionals for anyone affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts. It is free, anonymous, and open from 5pm to midnight every day. Support is available by phone, live chat, or WhatsApp. The CALM website also provides practical, non-clinical tools and resources to help people manage their mental health, including the CALM CARE Kit, which supports adults in protecting young people from suicide – from starting conversations to keeping them safe in times of crisis. Speaking to Boxing News, CALM’s Services Director Wendy Robinson and Head of PR and Communications Elizabeth Charlesworth paid tribute to Hatton for his honesty and impact. “We launched his ambassadorship with a campaign that we called The Toughest Opponent,” Elizabeth said. “It’s a really poignant film where he spoke really openly about why he was becoming a CALM ambassador, and that’s because of the struggles that he’d had over the past decade or so, kind of towards the end of his career. “I think the fact that he was a very proud working class man, a very tough man, yet he could speak so openly about what he’d been through, shows as a mark of strength. He really was a wonderful role model for a lot of people. “In the film, he said he thought that his job for as long as he was here was to help people. He represents a group of people that really do struggle, and that historically haven’t been encouraged to talk about those struggles. “If you look at men’s mental health in the last decade, it’s come on massively, and I don’t think it’s an over-exaggeration to say that Ricky Hatton was a big part of that.” Both Elizabeth and Wendy spoke of their sense of loss, but Wendy stressed the importance of continuing Hatton’s work and message. “It’s a sense of wanting to keep his legacy alive, and that message around wanting to do everything you can to help others,” Wendy said. “That reinvigorates us. He’s not here with us anymore, but his influence will continue to be felt, and I think for me there’s something as well around the impact of it all – a reminder to every one of us that mental health is not an event, it’s a process. It’s an everyday. “Bringing it back to boxing, if you have one bad fight it doesn’t mean your career is finished. If you have one bad day, month, one bad year, it’s like ‘OK, now I’m going to carry on, get back in there and do all the things that keep me happy’. “Mental health is exactly the same, and that’s what Ricky would say.” Hatton’s association with Andy’s Man Club began when ‘The Hitman’ boxed his friend and Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in an exhibition bout in November 2022. Having followed the charity from a distance, Hatton offered them advertising space as well as tickets for the Manchester event. Andy’s Man Club Head of Marketing and Partnerships, Lucas Whitehead, spoke about the depth of Hatton’s influence. “The impact that he had was sort of twofold. He were a working class guy, he’d done well and never really forgot his roots. “He spoke in a very real sense; he spoke in simple, clear terms and because he opened up he gave people a degree of relatability. “There’s several people who decided to come along to our sessions as a result of some of the things that he said in the press and the openness that he showed. “Somebody with his degree of success and fame, for him to actually openly admit that they’ve been struggling is so powerful in encouraging other people to do so.” This article was originally published in BOXING NEWS, the world’s oldest boxing magazine and the longest-running sports weekly. Published every Thursday, it offers unrivalled coverage of the sweet science. Buy it now at boxingnews.imbmsubscriptions.com With newspapers uniting to raise funds and awareness, Boxing News asked Lucas what message he wanted to share on behalf of Andy’s Man Club. “To anyone who’s struggling, do open up, do come forward and do try and deal with it. Don’t deal with it alone. “There’s thousands of people nationwide who can relate to you, who are happy to listen to you, whether that’s every Monday night at an Andy’s Man Club session or whether it’s through other charities or other services. “Take that first step to come forward. There’s too many people who are lost to suicide on an hourly basis, not even just a daily basis. To put it very bluntly, it’s a waste.” You can find your nearest Andy’s Man Club group by visiting www.andysmanclub.co.uk. To donate to the MEN and Daily Star’s fundraiser, go to www.tinyurl.com/mw46a7z9.
