An open letter to Ricky Hatton

Dear Ricky,
I'm sorry that I feel compelled to write to you at such a harrowing time for you,but there's a few things I would like to remind you of in the hope of achieving a measure of perspective at this point in your journey.

First,I think it's only fair to remove a proverbial elephant.I have been a fan for many years,but it's only correct that I point out that I was a fan who supported you because I loved the way you conquered the world with what seemed to me,somewhat limited ability in some departments.But you took your strengths and reached heights the vast majority of us will be lucky to dream of,and I genuinely wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the excitement and pleasure your wonderful journey to the pinnacle afforded me.

Another reason you have a special place in my heart is because any mention of you almost always reminds me of a friend who is no longer with us.Back in 2005,we were in an uneviable position having(deservedly at least in my case) of having lost out liberty.We only had access to some of your fights in the run up to Kostya but I managed to catch Tackie and Oliviera and it's still great to think of the days when you actually had a jab!
Anyway,as the big fight was PPV,we were told there was no way we'd see it,but my friend took it upon himself to campaign on everyone's behalf to get it,and although many concessions were conceded,he pulled it off.I fully understand why people would be disgusted at the thought of prisoners being able to access pay-per-view television,but it came out of an account known as the "Common Good Fund" which basically covers the funding of prisoner's basic needs that the state does not provide,and whilst the merits of this may be questionable,I'm sure you appreciate this is not the time or the place.But my point on this occasion is that I fondly link you to the memory of a good friend who dies tragically young.
I suspect as I write that dwelling on the big nights may not be beneficial to you at this point,so despite the fact that I had so much to say about these great and not-so-great(from your perspective) nights can be edited to a far more direct way of saying what I really want to say;
You gave us so much Ricky.You made boxing really matter for a nation again and united fans from every corner of the UK in a way we may never see again.I know it's not us that are missing the adulation and respect,but you have a place in our hearts that mean the fights you want to forget don't matter.We know that you're hurting terribly,but you're hurting for the loss of things you haven't lost.You have the respect of a generation of boxing fans,and it says a lot about how I always felt there were limits to your ability in certain areas,I always cheered for you,even against Kostya,who was a big favourite of mine!
I loved when you had a ringwalk with my alltime #2,Marco Antonio Barrera and even allowing for the fact that I think I had been drugged for a brief period when I inexplicably bet £200 on you to win,despite spending every second outwith that strange ten minutes believing it was too big an ask.But there have only been a very few rare occasions when I wanted Floyd to lose,but because of who you are,you were one of them.
Even though I have seen several very sad moments in boxing over the years,I'm not sure if any of them were more upsetting than tonight.I said to my boy at the end of the seventh,"Ricky will make a tearful announcement that it's not there,even if he somehow wins"
I may have semed prepared for what happened but although I'm not proud to admit it,I cried my way through most of that interview.I am haunted by your protestations that you're "not a failure"
Of course you're not Ricky! And you need to realise that because you're one of the main reasons our wonderful sport is still keeping it's head above water in the UK,and you will be loved,admired and best of all,respected by more than enough people to make you see what you've meant and what you've achieved.
Walk away with your head held high son! You reached the top of the mountain in the toughest game of all,and those fights you can't forget about are the ones that mean the least to your fans.There was so much more I wanted to say here,but at the risk of ridicule I just want to say again;Thank you Ricky.Only you can taint the memories for us,and if you put yourself and your family first,get the help you need and win the biggest fight of your life,you'll always have a special place in our hearts.
And we'll be with you all the way,so cut out all that "failure" nonsense.

Gratefully,
A fan.





Thanks for reading.:good

 

I'd have been proud of that one myself.:good

 

I mistakenly posted this in the Gen,hence the cheap shots and seething resentment.atsch

 

My own fault mate.I posted it in the general,which is like dropping a chicken in a piranha tank.

 

We're in a recession.
May be cheap but can't you do better than "You homo"?