The death of Ricky Hatton last September rocked the nation
Monday, September 14, marks exactly one year since the boxing world lost one of its most beloved figures.
Ricky Hatton was found dead at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, at age 46, in a death later ruled as hanging by coroners. What made the loss even more poignant was Hatton’s eagerness to return to the sport he loved.
At the time of his death, the former world champion was actively preparing for a December bout against the UAE’s Eisa Al Dah- a match that was set to be his second comeback following his 2012 retirement after losing to Vyacheslav Senchenko.
The defeat to the Ukrainian occurred three-and-a-half years after his initial retirement, which was prompted by a knockout by Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas. Hatton would have been 47 at the time of the fight and last summer, he eagerly discussed the planned match.
An eye injury prevented him from attending the press conference announcing the fight in person, but he participated via livestream and said: “I wish I was there but I had a little bad injury on my eye. The main thing is the fight will take place and I can’t wait, I’m really looking forward to it.
“It’s just one of them freakish things, I caught one of my sunglasses in my eyes and I’m very fortunate it’s not done any permanent damage. It’s just scraped the surface, so fingers crossed we’re good to go.”
The former boxer had been forthright about his battles with depression and addiction through the years. He expressed the satisfaction he felt in inspiring others who had faced similar challenges, through his openness regarding his difficulties.
“It inspired a lot of people, you know, for me to get in shape again at the age I’m at,” he told SunSport previously. “Especially bearing in mind all my problems I’ve had personally with mental health and stuff like that.
“It was nice for so many people to come up to me and go, ‘Oh, I’ve always struggled with my weight and to see you get it off at your age.’ I’ve always struggled with my mental health and I’ve had my problems. And to see where you were a few years ago to what you’re doing now, it’s inspirational.”
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