British boxing legend Ricky Hatton was laid to rest today (Fri Oct. 10, 2025) following a funeral at Manchester Cathedral that saw thousands of fans come out to pay tribute to one of the sport’s grittiest fighters.
Hatton was found dead in his home on September 14th at just 46 years of age. No official cause has been shared, but “The Hitman” had been open in the past about mental health challenges and multiple suicide attempts. He’d turned a corner over the past several years, though, reconnecting
with family and making plans to compete in an exhibition boxing match.
Hatton’s funeral procession traveled a ten mile route through his hometown of Manchester, starting at The Cheshire Cheese pub where Ricky was a regular, moving to his gym in Hyde, and arriving at Manchester Cathedral two hours later. All along the way, crowds of fans waved Manchester City flags and chanted “There’s only one Ricky Hatton.”
Plenty of boxing’s big names were in attendance for the funeral including Tyson Fury, Amir Khan, Tony Bellew, Connor Benn, and Frank Bruno. Fury arrived early for the service and gave a short comment on Hatton’s influence on British boxing.
“Today is the day of Ricky Hatton’s funeral, and I am not going to be alone when I say this,” Fury said. “Ricky inspired me as a young boy to go on and do great things in boxing. I wanted to be just like him — the ring walks, the flashy shorts, the fans, the chanting. When I was a little kid, he was fighting for his world title in Manchester against Kostya Tszyu and I was there along with a lot of young proper kids who were also inspired by Ricky.”
“So without Ricky Hatton, Manchester would not have had, the North West would not have had, the UK would not have had so many boxing world champions,” he concluded. “Inspired by the great Richard ‘the Hitman’ Hatton. Rest in peace, Rick. See you soon, buddy.”
Hatton ended his professional boxing career in 2012, going 45-3. He held the WBA, IBF, and IBO light-welterweight titles plus the WBA welterweight title, gaining popularity worldwide for his aggressive fighting style and tenacity in the face of adversity.
