Ricky Hatton’s son Campbell paid tribute to his late father at his funeral in Manchester, saying: “I can’t explain how much I’m going to miss you, dad.”
Thousands of mourners lined the streets during the procession which began at Hatton’s local pub – Cheshire Cheese in Hyde – at 9.45am on Friday before a private memorial service took place from midday.
Former world champion Hatton was found dead in his home on September 14. Greater Manchester Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.
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Boxing commentator Adam delivers a heartfelt eulogy at Ricky Hatton’s funeral.
Campbell Hatton, who won 14 of 16 fights before retiring from boxing last year, said of Ricky’s service: “We won’t make any new memories – but the ones we did I’ll cherish forever.”
The procession included a stop at Hatton’s boxing gym as well as AO Arena, the venue where he captured his first world title by defeating Kosta Tszyu in June 2005.
Those in attendance included Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, Hatton’s fellow boxers Tyson Fury, Frank Bruno and Tony Bellew, former England, Manchester United and Everton footballer Wayne Rooney and former England cricket captain Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff.
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Stars from the worlds of sport and entertainment arrived at Manchester Cathedral for Hatton’s funeral
“He has been our little hero since the day he was born.”
Hutton’s mother, Carol, said in a statement read on her behalf at the funeral: “The hit man was beloved by his army of fans – a people’s champion, and he used to say that was how he wanted to be remembered.”
“Long before he received this award, he was our little hero from the day he was born.”
Hatton won 45 of his 48 fights and gained legions of fans, not only for his boxing ability but also for his down-to-earth demeanor, with tens of thousands of supporters traveling to see him take on Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
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Ricky Hatton was honored under the title ‘Oasis’ at his funeral in Manchester. For anyone affected, support is available at sky.com/viewersupport
Mayweather and Pacquiao inflicted two of Hatton’s three defeats, the third coming in his last bout, against Vyacheslav Senchenko in Manchester in May 2012.
Hatton – an ambassador for mental health charities and the Manchester-based Barnabas, which supports homeless and vulnerable people – became a coach after his retirement before taking part in an exhibition against Marco Antonio Parreira in 2022.
He was scheduled to return to the ring in a professional match in December this year.
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