RIP Ricky Hatton

To be balanced Calzaghe was filling the Millennium Stadium around the same time or earlier, Frank Bruno won his World Title at Wembley Stadium in the previous decade and we cannot forget the Benn, Eubank and Watson fights at Football Stadiums.

Hatton did have a tremendous loyal fanbase.

 

Rest In Peace Rick, a friend, a hero , a legend, thoughts and prayers to your family.

I wish I could go back 2 weeks and speak to you again, rest easy my friend.

 

The tragedy that underpins the latter stages of Hatton's life was how trivialised his alcoholism was. Even in his death, a lot of the tributes are about how he was a man of the people and always down at his local with a pint of beer. The blindness of British culture frames this behaviour as a "one of the lads" attitude, but it goes a level that is much deeper and darker when Hatton was dealing with the mental demons he often spoke about.

Some people can be one of the lads down the boozer, and drink "normally" for want of a better word. They go to work, then they see their family, go out, have a pint or two while they watch the footy and then go home. Nothing wrong with that. It was clear 20 years ago that Hatton was not a person who operated this way. All the red flags were glaringly obvious. But because these two types of drinkers are conflated and blurred in British drinking culture, nobody was really able to have an honest conversation about it, because of the collective cognitive dissonance. It may have been more evident to someone like me, who has been around a lot of sober people, and as someone who has been (thankfully) sober for a very long time. I don't mean for this to sound like I am on my high horse; I am not. I am devastated.

Clearly, Ricky was somebody who saw drink and drugs as a means to stave off the demons; it was not part of being "one of the lads" - it was a desperate cry for help that few people can hear, even after his death, and this is obvious in some of the thoughtful but misguided tributes to him, Paulie Malignaggi's one is a good example.

Hopefully, this can highlight just how toxic the drinking culture is in the UK, and how trivialising binge drinking helps to fan the flames of such tragic outcomes, and why "speaking up" simply isn't enough; we need a total overhaul and to educate people. Millions of people in the UK create the conditions for people to do this to themselves, even our most beloved sporting heroes like Ricky.

 

Been a few days now , was a complete shock when I heard the news ..

British boxing legend , and even probably a even nicer bloke gone way too soon .. you gave us some special nights .. I really thought he could beat Mayweather back then like all of us watched that fight live ..

RIP Ricky "Hitman" Hatton

 

Agree completely; alcohol is a poison to ones mental health. I'm not saying this from the outside either, I've struggled with both alcohol and depression, and if you have a comorbidity of both alcoholism and depression then you are not remitting from depression unless you have kicked the booze too.

 

In the UK the default response to struggles is “have a drink” or “let’s go to the pub.” It might lift the mood for a bit, but the problem’s still there — and for anyone prone to alcoholism or deeper issues, it just feeds the cycle. Add in binge-drinking environments where everyone’s doing the same and it all feels “normal.” Hatton was surrounded by that, and I still see people I knew 10–15 years ago stuck in the same loop, or just swapping one addiction or binge habit for another. In working-class areas this isn’t unusual at all. Hatton’s story isn’t the exception — sadly, it’s the rule.

 

That loss to Pacquiao was such a cruel way for him to go out, I wish he didn't take that fight. That loss seemed to torture him a bit. Guess that's the nature of boxing, but of all the fighters Pacquiao could have put out cold in that manner, I wish it wasn't Ricky. I felt so bad for him for that, as the proud man he was. Retirement as well must have been very difficult for him, after all that adulation from the fans. Watching him around his prime, this isn't the ending I would have expected at all, and I was stunned to see the headline. The worse thing is it seemed like he was turning a corner. His life is still an incredible story though and should be celebrated.

 

The Sky documentary on Hatton is a good watch too — definitely worth checking out. It gives better insights than others that came before, with both Ricky and Billy offering plenty of perspective. Graham doesn’t mix his words either, which makes it all the more raw and real.

 

Ricky should have taken a domestic level opponent when he tried a comeback instead of that teek tough euro level eastern european.

That loss probably messed him up more than Pacman and Mayweather.

A few nice, easy British level fights in packed out venues would have been a nice way to leave on a high.

I always felt uncomfortable with the way his camp were having a laugh about his unhealthy "ricky fatton" behaviour. He needed someone to keep him disciplined.

 

That was terrible matchmaking and it was probably made because Senchenko had a KO on his record from the feather fisted Paulie Malignaggi in the preceding contest. The referee stopped it because Senchenko's eye was all swollen and closed.

 

I actually disagree. You could argue Hatton deserved a gimme for his first fight back, but what would that really have proved? All it would’ve done is delay the inevitable. Brook blasted Senchenko out in four and totally outclassed him, so Ricky was always going to hit a ceiling.

If he’d taken the easy road back, he’d have ended up cannon fodder for the likes of Khan or Brook — and another brutal KO would’ve been even harder to swallow. At least against Senchenko he found out it wasn’t there anymore and went out on his shield. People like to say if he’d won, he’d have got Malignaggi for the WBA strap, but truth is Paulie was already pretty much locked in for Broner around that time anyway.

 

Course you would.

 

He would have had a better chance if Joe Cortez let him work inside instead of jumping in every three seconds...

 

He beat Broner that night too in my eyes. Hatton was never winning against Senchenko I bet against Ricky that night so did my brother we done pretty well out of it. Getting stopped by a body shot too just added to the pain of it all. He was crying post fight in an interview saying “I’m not a loser” it was tough to watch.

I love Hatton I think one of his best performances was against Stephen Smith (fight waved off after Smiths dad jumped in the ring). Ricky looked devastating that night.

RIP champ

 

Yup, I was rooting for Paulie against Broner too — the build-up was quality and even post-fight the back-and-forth over the “dime piece” was gold. Can’t really recall the Senchenko fight, and it’s rare I missed a Hatton one, so it must’ve clashed with something. Wasn’t shocked at the result though, but fair play — as others have said, he could’ve taken a far easier route and still sold out the MEN.

And as you said, that Smith fight really showed it. Smith was a good fighter — had Vanzie close to done before running out of gas — but D.arkie jumping in probably saved him from being sparked out by Ricky that night. As you said, at his peak Hatton was just electric, just felt all those WBU fights held him back though.