World title challenger and Sky Sports activities’ pundit Matthew Macklin was a part of Ricky Hatton’s camp. He shares his reminiscences of the journey…
An outstanding, phenomenal fighter, nice man as nicely. I am unhappy and shocked and my coronary heart goes out to his household. I can solely think about how they really feel.
It was nicely documented that he lived life to the fullest however he skilled as arduous as anybody I have been within the gymnasium with. A real skilled when he was in coaching. Weight-reduction plan, every little thing… he did every little thing to perfection.
He had an excellent boxing mind I feel, a really underrated skillset. Everybody knew he was a fearsome physique puncher, very robust, however he was a incredible boxer when he wanted to be as nicely.
There have been fights he received when in all probability he might have pulled out, he was unwell. I bear in mind the Juan Urango combat, he in all probability ought to have pulled out actually. It was a world title combat, it was his Las Vegas debut, a whole lot of strain on, and he went by with it.
Boxing supervisor and promoter Frank Warren pays tribute to Ricky Hatton.
Even the Manny Pacquiao combat: in hindsight he in all probability ought to have pulled out of that combat, coaching did not go nicely. However he did not. He soldiered by it. He walked the stroll in each sense of the phrase.
An amazing fighter to be round as nicely, the best way he dealt with the strain, the best way he dealt with all of the media obligations.
He actually was a personality as nicely. So humorous, a prankster within the gymnasium. Boxing’s a troublesome sport and a lonely sport however whenever you’ve received characters like Ricky within the gymnasium with you, sharing the laughs and sharing the journey, it makes on daily basis a pleasure, actually, versus a hardship.
Kostya Tszyu… that was one of many particular nights in British boxing historical past. Actually in my time, it was the night time.
Former boxer and Sky Sports activities Boxing pundit, Spencer Oliver pays tribute to shut pal Ricky Hatton, following his passing on the age of 46.
It was late at night time as a result of it needed to swimsuit US primetime tv, the MEN packed out in Manchester, Kostya Tszyu an all time nice already who’d cemented his legacy.
Not many individuals gave Ricky Hatton an opportunity in that combat. Even the people who knew Ricky was the actual deal and believed in him and thought he was world class, I do not consider they thought he was fairly ok to beat a legend, an all-time nice like Kostya Tszyu.
But it surely was his night time, he wasn’t going to be denied and he made it a conflict of attrition. He jumped on Kostya Tszyu. He did not give him the room or the time. He dragged him into Ricky Hatton’s combat, shut quarters and tenacious. It was ferocious, it was gruelling and finally he needed it extra.
It was his time and he had 20,000-odd followers inside that enviornment keen him on with each single punch. At the moment I used to be very shut with Ricky, we skilled collectively, I used to be a part of his group and from my standpoint as a younger fighter coming by, simply to soak up that have and study from it, it was unbelievable.
Sky Originals on the unimaginable story of Ricky Hatton.
For the Floyd Mayweather combat in Las Vegas, it was chaos, in a great way. I bear in mind a few of the blackjack sellers, they mentioned they’d been there 30, 40 years and so they’d by no means seen something prefer it. They could not consider it, the assist, the noise, it was unreal.
He got here up brief in opposition to Mayweather however he pushed Mayweather. That was in all probability one among Mayweather’s greatest performances. Ricky introduced the perfect out of Mayweather along with his aggression and what he delivered to the combat. And that was prime Mayweather.
He had a connection to his followers, possibly extra so than anybody earlier than or since. He actually embraced all of it. He by no means forgot his roots, he was very a lot a person of the individuals.
And it is not straightforward whenever you’re that well-known and everybody needs a bit of you. However he at all times tried to verify he by no means forgot himself, he at all times made time for individuals. I feel he genuinely loved it. He genuinely was grateful and by no means forgot that.
