Tributes pour in at Ricky Hatton’s funeral in Manchester

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Thousands lined the streets of Manchester for Ricky Hatton’s funeral. Those in attendance included Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, Hatton’s fellow boxers Tyson Fury, Frank Bruno and Tony Bellew, ex-England, Manchester United and Everton footballer Wayne Rooney and former England cricket captain Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff.

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I think I think when I did the podcast at Sky, it was a couple of days after we’d heard. I don’t think it felt real then. I think it feels real now. Um and it’s just such a tragedy. Um you know, such a great guy. Uh even just talking to people around, you know, it all, you know, he was such a funny funny guy, you know what I mean? Blood him back. It does. He was I mean, he was a great fighter. There’s no uh everyone talks about him being the man of the people, which he was, but it’s very easy to forget he was an unbelievable boxer, great fighter. I mean, even when he was coming through 10 fights in his first year, and he was just you wanted you, he stole the show. Every fight he was on, he was he was an unbelievable talent, uh an unbelievable work ethic. um as a young fighter coming through looking up to him, he was a fantastic role model and how he trained, how he conducted himself with the media and other people. Um and uh you just thought he was someone that was going to flourish post boxing cuz he had such he had so much more to him. He had such a great personality and I know he I mean he’s after dinner speaking he he was almost he was on the level of a standup comedy, you know what I mean? He was that funny. He really was and and just and not just presscripted. He was funny off the cuff like quick oneliners, great, you know, always come back at you. So, um, yeah, very sad. Ian Dark commentated on some of Hatton’s biggest fights during his career, including his first world title fight against Costazu in 2005. This is a guy who took what 30,000 people, they say, to Las Vegas to see him fight. His first fight was at Witness and somebody had told her, somebody in the camp said, “Oh, it’d be worth you hanging around to watch this this guy at the bottom of the bill tonight, Richard Hatton.” And his fight got delayed and delayed. It was 25 to midnight. We were off the air and we thought, well, we might as well hang around and look at this this kid. He’s he’s won the ABA Championship. He might be something. But you hear that kind of hype a lot of times about a lot of fighters. But you could see even then that he had a kind of explosive volcanic kind of way with him in the in the in the ring. He he was marquee value really from the word go and and became of course massive box office. Everybody was waiting all the time for the big fight, the big one. And the big one of course was Cost Yazu who was probably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world or certainly in the argument for that. The dream is made real. Ricky Hen rocks the world with a truly stunning win over a modern legend. He is the champion of the world. The hitman really has arrived in the big time. Ricky wasn’t favorite that night. No, no way was he favorite. But I’ll tell you something, the way he prepared for that fight, not just cuz he was pumped up. He had a brilliant technical plan devised by Billy Graham, his trainer. Billy Graham the preacher they called him used to keep snakes in his gym. One was called Liston, wasn’t it? In the the back office. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I think you iguanas used to go around the gym. But it all worked and they had a great plan and I think you know he walked through walls that night and I don’t think anybody could have beaten him. It was it was you know a moment in in a fella’s life. Um and it was a privilege to just provide a bit of the soundtrack for it. There’s only one word I can use for your support tonight and that was legendary. God bless you all. Mean it. He’s become a cliche man of the people. But I don’t remember another fighter who was that accessible to his public as Ricky. You know, he’d he’d win a fight one night and the next day he’d be he’d be in the pub ser singing karaoke songs and sinking Guinness and uh yeah, eating as much junk food as he could get his hands on. It wasn’t a conventional life of a championship fighter, but it worked for him at that time. Everything goes beyond boxing with Ricky. He’s just a a sweet guy. Um, you know, and it’s funny because he was such a a ferocious fighter that away from the ring, you had this guy who was just like everybody’s friend and it was uh you know, it’s just a you know, obviously it’s a privilege to have known him, but and and to have documented the stuff, but like I said, everything is beyond boxing with Ricky. It’s about who he is as a person and what he did and, you know, uniting the city, uniting the country, taking all those fans to Las Vegas, all those magical nights. Like, it’s uh Ricky is far bigger than boxing and uh you know, and his legacy is just unmatched. It’s it’s completely unparalleled when you wind up with those great days and nights in Las Vegas, you know, and you you you look at where it all started. It’s it’s absolutely insane. But um but that was Ricky’s journey, you know, that was Ricky’s journey and and it was a one-off and and it won’t be it won’t be it won’t be replicated because we’ve never had anything like it before. And I know that we talk about the British greats and and Ricky’s name being amongst them, but there’s there’s a degree of separation between Ricky and all the rest of them for how the nation felt about him and how other nations felt about him. You still go and cover fights in Las Vegas now and all the fans and all the supporters and all the people in boxing say, “Oh, we never had we’ve never had nights like those Ricky Hatton nights.” And we’re 20 years on. Just off camera, we’re making his way now. Billy Graham. Billy Graham, the man that was synonymous with that Hatton journey. Jim Couch with And I’m delighted, Craig, that he is here. You’re absolutely right. You know, we’ve we’ve spoken. Yes, there were fallings out in years past and and and there were there were fractured relationships, but thankfully D is always good to see him as well. But so many people close to Ricky talked about the necessity for healing to happen and and what a great fight Manchester fighter he was who came up with with Billy Graeme as well. World title challenger, great left hook he has. Call the Carl the Cat Thompson as well. Good to see Carl. What a warrior. My goodness. Oh, there’s some great figures from the past. But yes, incredibly poignant to see Billy here. Anyone who’s watched the documentary knows the story, knows of the difficulties and the breakup between him and and Ricky and and the Fisher between him and maybe the Hatton family in more general terms. But surely this is a time for healing and and and and and and honoring Ricky Hatton’s legacy by by bringing that healing. Very well said. Correct me if I’m wrong. My math is terrible. I think Jane Couch and Ricky were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the same year. Uh so it’s nice that she walked in with Billy Graham. Um if my math is slightly off, please uh forgive me. I mean, yeah, it’s from down the road as well. Lanasher last the Fleetwoods Fleetwood Assassin as she called himself. I just want to show you the pictures there Craig that the Manchester Gloom is back slightly as the funeral Cortez I think starts to make its way closer to the city center now. Is that Robin Reed there? Yes, Robin Reed I saw come through. Yeah. Who topped the bill on the the with him on his phone. Yeah. but with a with a lot of boxing uh background in his family too. Of course, Wayne Rooney. Yeah, that is Wayne. Yeah, I can see his face now. Wayne Rooney, who was a red, but he obviously walked uh hat into the ring as well famously. That’s right. I mean, they they all have respect. The bottom line is they all I can see Paul Smith there. They all respect the whole family and what he I think is there a sportsman in Britain who does not do his cap to the achievements of Ricky Arton? I don’t think so, Ben. No, I really don’t think so. And it’s you know Wayne Rooney is a man who obviously played football at the very elite level but loves his boxing. We’ve seen him in so many dressing rooms post. He’d turn out for so many different events. But exactly that I think great recognizes great doesn’t it? And I think Wayne really certainly recognized being a lad from this part of the world, albeit from Liverpool, but came here, let’s not forget how young he was when he joined Manchester United and growing up in that era and seeing people like Ricky, fellow workingass heroes blazing a trail at the very top level and being elite elite sports people. Some of the Smith brothers arriving as well. Paul Smith there, I think he’s has gone in. Paul, I don’t know if you want to talk. We’re live on squash so I know you’ve got some invites to give out and forgive me these might these might be the the first time Callum Simpson as well these might be the first time that you’ve seen these funeral pictures the the the fans have come out the Ricky Hatton fans that we’ve seen around Hyde we’ve seen the the Cheshire Cheese the the pubs everything Wayne Rooney as well I I I don’t want to keep you how how are you first off because I think We’ve had Matt Macklin on. You shared some unbelievable times in that Phoenix camp with Billy Graham. And I think for every sad story that you’re going to tell, there is a a brilliant, hilarious one as well. Uh, you know, I hope you’re doing okay. Yeah, I’m okay, mate. It’s sad. And we’ve just been in a car driving up the four of us and in between the laughs and jokes about the stories, it’s like we shouldn’t be driving here. We shouldn’t be coming in for this. likes to drive that drive every day to Manchester every weekday there and back 45 minutes. Both ways just to be in the same gym as someone like Ricky as a person you knew him. So you you know as soon as I mention him you smile and that’s what we’ve all probably got to try and remember the the smiles, the good times, the laughs. He was comical but unbelievable fighter. Unbelievable special fighter. A lot of people call him a brawler. He was so much more than that. He was special. He was um talented and unbelievable fighter. Yeah. What was it like actually training with him? You you came as a group, didn’t you? That Phoenix camp, you all sort of went, you come for one, you come for us all. But Matt Mack was also telling us brilliant uh brilliant jokes as well, you know, a real joker in the pack. Yeah, he was. I have my family parties in Liverpool. He’s turned up. No one’s this. He’s just like I’ve had nights out in Liverpool with him, but he’s turned up and he’s just he was special. He was up one off. He was a character. And I think this will be sad now. A very moving hour we’ve spent in there and hearing from the family and everything else. This is maybe sinking in now just the loss that everyone has. It was it was an amazing send off for an amazing person and I think you always expect this but then you come out here it’s like going to one of his fights back in the day the turnout and he’s yeah he’s he’s always been Manchester’s favorite son and I’m I’m glad he got a send off fit for a king. How important was he personally to what you were able to achieve in the ring? He was he was my childhood hero. I was lucky enough he then become a mate. Um, but he inspired a generation. He did. I think there was a time where not just every kid around Manchester who boxed, but kid around Britain who who wanted to be Ricky and he wanted to be the next Ricky. Whether they tried to fight like him, they had the long shots like him. That was the impact he had. Some sort of memorial. You sense what this city will have to to make to him? There’s got to be. There’s got to be. Um, he gave this city, I don’t mean just in sport, he gives this city some of the best nights they’ve ever had. than they ever will have. Oh, sir. Thank you very much. Lovely seeing you. Great times together over the years. Every single year we met up and had a great time. He was a great character. What a lad he was. And uh don’t judge him, just enjoy what he did. How good of a person he was for someone who rose to the levels of Ricky Hatton and to remain just one of the normal people is is unbelievable. Uh the best thing I I memory I have was going to the gym watching them train for the first time. Uh I was an amateur boxing time just won the NBA title and I’ve watched them train and I’ve watched thousands of fighters train over the years hundreds thousands and after watching him it’s the only fight I’ve ever been thought of and I’ve been in awe of him and thought that’s the standard. He’s the standard. everything he does, whether it was strength and conditioning with Kerry Kay’s, whether it was body bag with Billy, whether it was jumping a bar, whether it was, he was the standard, and that’s that’s the one thing that stands out with the boxing. He worked tremendously hard uh and was just one of the best people I’ve ever got to know and meet. Not surprising to me because he was such a star. He was such a great human being. I grew up here with my two boys because he he demands the sort of respect that a hero in boxing demands and he’s an amazing guy and he was a phenomenal fighter and um just incredible brought people together. So amazing despite being really humble, a massive inspiration as well without a doubt. Yeah. Two young kids. Uh really amazing. Fabulous. I think some of the best memories are just, you know, having a laugh outside of the ring to be honest. I traveled the world to see him when he fought Mayweather and Pacquiao. Um, and yeah, the their fights, you know, people in their prime at their best and he he took the challenge regardless of what he thought the result was going to be. And that’s a testament to the style of style of fighter he was and the person that he was. Yeah. What was he like as a person, as a man? He was very humble. um you know we never forgot his roots. He stayed true to himself. H believed in himself at all times and he loved the people of Manchester in particularly City even though we didn’t always agree on that. You know he was just your typical down to earth lad and he wore his heart on his sleeve. You have to look around at all the people to see what he’s like as a person. Everyone’s come out for him and it’s brought Manchester to a standstill and there’s a lot of a lot of love and a lot of positivity knocking around so good. Like a fighter as a boxer. He’s the best, wasn’t he? He was the best. I was just talking to someone around the corner about being out at the um the Mayweather fight in Vegas and it was literally like Manchester was picked up and dropped in Vegas for those few days, you know. So, uh, amazing to to to to witness something like that, but s such a humble chap and such a lovely bloke as