By Charlotte Daly,Editor,Will Griffee

Copyright dailymail

Eddie Hearn has paid a heartfelt and uninterrupted tribute to Ricky Hatton, who died aged 46 at the weekend.

He was able to give his full view after being repeatedly cut off by Chris Eubank Jr when trying to pay tribute to Hatton during Wednesday’s press conference to promote the Conor Benn rematch.

Hatton was discovered at 6.45am at home on Sunday having failed to turn up at the gym and a fight he was expected to watch over the weekend. His death is not being treated as suspicious.

The boxing community has been shattered by the news and the Matchroom chairman exclusively spoke to Daily Mail Sport about the British sporting legend.

He said: ‘It’s quite a toxic business and in a toxic business for nobody to have ever said a bad word about Ricky Hatton just shows you what kind of an individual he was.

‘He was the last of a rare breed of boxers and athletes who built their popularity without social media. Not with a content team that will follow him around, just a pure soul with a clean heart that a city fell in love with and then a country fell in love with.

‘He gave all his time to anyone, doesn’t matter if it was a CEO of a broadcast company or guy trying to clean up around here.’

Hearn went on to add that Hatton’s death shows the need to check in with people even when they appear to be happy.

He went on: ‘You see the statement from the family about his bags being packed and going away – people don’t really know what is happening beneath the mask.

‘I feel like there is a real stigma, particularly with men, particularly in businesses like this or who are fighters, it’s not the done thing to show weakness.

‘I know everyone says, you’ve got to talk, but people just don’t they’re afraid to talk or their embarrassed to talk. Ricky was like a beacon of hope to those people and even he didn’t talk all the time.

‘To see a guy that funny, full of life and good around people, that good a role model with that good a heart, not being able to get rid of his demons is so, so sad.’

Hearn, representing Benn, attempted to pay his respects to the former world champion at the beginning of Wednesday’s press conference but was incredulously cut off by Eubank Jr as he did so, leading to a heated argument in front of reporters.

‘Just firstly, 30 seconds on Ricky Hatton,’ Hearn began as Eubank Jr bellowed: ‘Come on Eddie, there’s no 30 seconds. You know the drill.’

It prompted an understandably angry response from Hearn, who labelled the boxer, son of the legendary Chris Eubank, an ‘a**hole’.

‘All I was going to do was say a few words about Ricky Hatton,’ he added, ‘you’re an a**hole, you talk shit, you’ll get what’s coming to you.’

Eubank Jr meanwhile continued talking over Hearn: ‘I’m not going to sit here and listen to anything you say. I don’t want to hear any of your words. Let’s move on with the press conference, we know the drill.’

Just days before his passing, Hatton had seemed in good health in videos shared to his Instagram from the gym. Hatton had been set to make a highly-anticipated return to the ring this December.

He was tragically due to board a flight to Dubai on Monday to sign a contract confirming the bout against Eisa Al Dah.

Revealing details of the fighter’s last days, BBC commentator Steve Bunce told 5Live: ‘He filled me in on a few details about the Friday night and the Saturday night. On the Saturday night, Ricky hadn’t gone to a boxing show.

‘Speaky had found out Sunday morning. Speaky went round and let himself into the house. In fact it was Paul Speak who found his great friend and the people’s champion Ricky Hatton.

‘Speaky deserves a little bit of love. You can’t even begin to imagine. It’s a 25-year relationship they’ve had as his commercial and business manager, but more than that it’s his close friend. It’s his confidant.

‘I can’t think of another relationship like it in sport to be perfectly honest. So Speaky was the one that found him.’

The boxer’s cause of death is yet to be revealed.