Ricky Hatton obituary

"The fight was staged in the early hours of the morning to suit the demands of American television. Ricky Hatton, former boxing world champion, dies aged 46 Hatton, urged on by a sell-out crowd of more than 20,000 at the Manchester Arena, was at his rampaging best. Tszyu retired on his stool after 11 rounds of torrid combat, and Hatton had achieved his dream of being what the sport would regard as a genuine world champion."

"Born in Stockport, Ricky grew up on the Hattersley council estate in Hyde, Greater Manchester. His mother, Carol, and father, Ray, ran a pub and also had a carpet business, in which Ricky briefly worked after leaving school before embarking on a professional boxing career as soon as he could, at the age of 18. Despite having built a useful amateur record after first going to a boxing gym as a 10-year-old, Hatton had become disillusioned with the unpaid sport,"

"He was particularly disgusted by a scoring controversy at the world junior championships when he was 17. He signed a long-term professional deal with the promoter Frank Warren, trained with Billy the Preacher Graham and began to rack up a series of impressive wins, often on the undercard of Warren's shows with headline stars such as Naseem Hamed and Chris Eubank."

Ricky Hatton died aged 46. He was one of Britain's most popular boxers, known for a cheeky-chappy, hard-drinking persona and a vast army of loyal supporters. He fought with a high-pressure, body-punching style and often presented himself as a Manc scally who felt like a pal to fans. His defining moment came in 2005 when he defeated Kostya Tszyu after 11 rounds in front of over 20,000 at Manchester Arena to become a genuine world champion. Born in Stockport and raised on the Hattersley council estate, he worked briefly in his parents' pub and carpet business before turning professional at 18 and rising under promoter Frank Warren.

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