The funeral was held at Manchester Cathedral after a long procession around the city
The great and the good of the boxing world were among thousands of mourners who said an emotional farewell to world champion Ricky Hatton at his funeral earlier.
Hatton, whose passion, personality and skills drew huge crowds throughout his career, was found dead at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, on 14 September at the age of 46.
“I can’t explain how much I’m going to miss you, dad, and that we won’t be making any new memories – but the ones we did I will cherish forever,” he said.
“Growing up I looked up to my dad in every aspect of life whether it be following in a career in boxing like he did or the way he carried himself out of the ring.
“But all of that was fuelled by the love I had and always will have for him.”
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The sporting world was left in shock when Hatton was found dead at his home
Hatton’s mother Carol said in a statement read on her behalf: “‘The Hitman’ was adored by his army of fans – the People’s Champion, and he would say that’s how he would want to be remembered.
“Long before this accolade he was our little champion from the day he was born.”
Among those attending were boxers Frazer Clarke and Natasha Jonas, former boxers Amir Khan, Scott Welch, Frank Bruno, Barry McGuigan and Anthony Crolla, former Manchester City footballer Mike Summerbee, pundit and former footballer Chris Kamara and Hatton’s former trainer Billy Graham.
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen and boxers Tyson and Tommy Fury also attended the service.
They were joined by Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder and Mark “Bez” Berry, reality TV personality Calum Best, comedian Paddy McGuinness, former cricket star Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff and actor Dean Gaffney.
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Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher was among the friends and family attending
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Tyson Fury was joined by his brother Tommy at the service
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Former England and Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney and his wife Colleen paid their respects at the service
Hatton’s funeral cortege was led by the famous Reliant van from Only Fools And Horses.
The former boxing world champion was a big fan of the Del Boy and Rodney sitcom and once bought one of the original three-wheelers for £4,000, which he used to drive round his home city.
On the way to the service, the cortege arrived at the Cheshire Cheese pub – Hatton’s local – on Stockport Road in Hyde and was met with applause from mourners before it departed at 09:45 BST.
Reuters
Hatton’s funeral cortege was led by the famous Reliant van from Only Fools And Horses, which Hatton purchased
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The coffin was carried into the cathedral by Hatton’s brother Matthew Hatton and son Campbell Hatton
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The funeral procession made a final stop at the home of Manchester City
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The funeral was described as “a service of thanksgiving” in the order of service
The procession then travelled to the Harehill Tavern before doves were released in the boxer’s honour at The New Inn.
There was a further pause at Hatton’s Gym, where emotional fans sang and took pictures.
Throngs of wellwishers gathered around the cathedral ahead of the service.
Afterwards, the procession made its way from the cathedral to the Etihad Stadium, home of Hatton’s beloved Manchester City.
The Stockport-born boxer won world titles in both the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions.
He quickly rose through the amateur and domestic ranks to pit his wits against the elite fighters of his generation, including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao.
Rea – who fights Lyndon Arthur on November 1 – is in attendance and opened up on his special bond with the heroic Hitman.
READ MORE ON RICKY HATTON
He told SunSport: “I was lucky that I did have a good relationship and we were friends.
“But I think so many people, even people that maybe just met him once, maybe people that just got a picture with him once, seeing him in the pub or whatever, because of the way he was, everyone feels like they have that kind of personal connection with him.
“He was just down to earth and he was just one of us at the end of the day, no matter how big he made it.
“I think that’s why it has affected so many people and everyone does kind of feel like they know him in a way because he was so down to earth.
“So it’s been a tough one for me to take. It’s been a tough one for most of the boxing scene to take.”
Despite becoming inseparable, Rea admits the novelty of Hatton’s presence in his life never wore off.
I was last person to interview Ricky Hatton – I was gutted when our chat ended
He said: “It just kind of merged into one. I was with him so much and I’d see him so often and we’d spend so much time together in the gym kind of every day.
“You do kind of forget how big he was, how loved he was, and how many people he had an effect on.
“Then every now and again you’d be out sparring or you’d be walking down a residential street somewhere and you’d go, ‘It’s Ricky.’ You know what I mean?
“It’s not just Rick, this is the Hitman and, yeah every now and again I kind of had to pinch myself a little bit and go, ‘This is Ricky Hatton I’m sat in Nando’s with.’ It was a bit surreal.”
Despite Hatton’s superstardom and unrivalled fanfare – he dreaded ever being looked at as anything other than a working class people’s champion.
Rea said: “He was just one of the boys at the end of the day.
“He was so down to earth and that was why the other side come with it he didn’t think he was better than anyone else.
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Hatton became part of Rea’s corner teamCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
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The two celebrate a victoryCredit: @bradrea_
“He didn’t think he was a superstar and I think they probably go hand in hand, kind of just being so down to earth and then still being taken back by all the support.”
Two-weight world champion Hatton would spend 12 hard weeks preparing for his fights – and the rest of his time down the pub with his friends.
Rea was fortunate enough to have socialised with the boxing great – preferring to leave some of their more chaotic tales forever untold.
He beamed: “Oh, there’s so many. There’s so many but all of them I’m just laughing, I’m smiling because it’s just stupid times, rubbish jokes, cracking rubbish jokes.
“I’m lucky that I got multiple different sides of him. I got him as a coach, I had him as part of my team in my corner. I had him as a friend.
“I’ve been to the football with him. I’ve been out for a beer with him, I’ve been on a weekend to Dublin with him, I’ve had all different sides of him.
“I’ve got many memories to kind of look back on. Some stories that I can tell and some I’ll probably keep to myself!”
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Hatton and Rea socialised away from boxingCredit: @bradrea_
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Some of their tales will always remain untoldCredit: @bradrea_
Rea was hit with the devastating news just months before his European title defence against Arthur at the Co-Op Live Arena.
And he has since returned to Hatton’s Hyde – where emotions are high.
Rea, 27, said: “I’d not been there for a while. It is a bit surreal. It is a little bit weird.
“Every time I’ve been in there, the majority of the time he’s in there, and he’s cracking jokes, you know, he’s being Rick.
“But at the end of the day there’s me, there’s a load of other lads in there that still got a job to do and he’d be disappointed if we were moping about and we weren’t training.
“He’d want us to get back at it and he want us to crack on and. So you’ve kind of just got to keep cracking on and do what you can to try and make him proud.”
And the best way to make City super-fan Hatton proud? Beat United supporter Arthur – a friend of former sparring partner – in their hometown.
Rea chuckled: “You know what it is? It’s more how we’d react if I let myself get beat by a United fan!
“He would never let me hear the end of it. He would be on my case and I can’t do that to him. I can’t let him down on that front.”
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Rea faces Man Utd fan Lyndon Arthur on November 1Credit: @queensberrypromotions
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Arthur and Rea are former sparring partnersCredit: @bradrea_
BBC Breakfast paid a touching tribute to the Dancing on Ice star ahead of his funeral today (October 10), featuring an interview with Hatton’s former coach Blain Younis. Younis described Hatton as “a hero” to the local community, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“People are coming to lay flowers outside the gym and his house and you can just see how it’s impacted the town,” he said. “It’s like it’s hit people hard.”
“He was like the hero of Hyde,” he continued. “The astonishing thing was the heights he reached in boxing and celebrity life. He still knew everyone on a personal level around this town.”
BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt informed viewers that thousands were expected to line the streets of Greater Manchester to bid a final farewell to Hatton, before his midday funeral.
The procession will begin from Gee Cross in Hyde, making its way to Manchester Cathedral.
Hatton, who built a gym for his community, will have his procession pause there, allowing fans to reflect on their loss.
As mourners pass a pub cellar where the Hattons constructed a boxing ring, doves will be released in honour of the late sports star.
The procession will then reach Manchester Arena, a venue where Hatton often showcased his boxing prowess.
Hatton was found dead on 14 September.
His family later paid tribute, stating: “He had a heart as big as his smile, and his kindness, humour and loyalty touched everyone who was lucky enough to know him.
“As a family, our loss is immeasurable, and words cannot truly capture the pain we feel. Yet in the midst of our grief, we have been deeply moved by the overwhelming outpouring of love and support.
“Richard’s memory will forever remain in our hearts, in the hearts of his fans, and in the sport he loved so dearly.”
