Ricky Hatton ‘appeared well’ days before he died, inquest hears
Former boxing world champion Ricky Hatton appeared “okay” when he was last seen by his family days before his death, an inquest heard.
The 46-year-old man was found dead at his home in Hyde and Manchester Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious.
At the opening of the investigation on Thursday, it was announced that the provisional cause of death was execution.
The court heard Hatton was last seen by his family on September 12, when he appeared “okay”.
However, he did not attend an event the next day as expected and on the morning of the 14th, his manager Paul Speak arrived at his home to take him to Manchester Airport to catch his flight to Dubai.
Hatton was found unresponsive.
The details were given during a short 10-minute hearing at which the inquest into the former poplar boxer’s death was opened by Manchester South’s senior coroner Alison Mutch and adjourned until March 20 next year.
His family said in a statement: “Richard was so much more than a world champion. To us he was just ‘Richard’, our son. A loving father, grandfather, brother and a true friend to many.”
“He had a heart as big as his smile, and his kindness, sense of humor and loyalty touched everyone who was lucky enough to know him.
“To the wider world, Richard will always be remembered as one of boxing’s greatest champions, a man who gave his all inside the ring and carried his heart out of it too.”
Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Manchester to pay tribute to him.
Celebrities including Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen, and boxers Tyson and Tommy Fury attended the special memorial service held at Manchester Cathedral last Friday.
Hatton won world titles at lightweight and welterweight, and his style of action made him one of the most popular fighters in the first decade of the new century.
Kostya Tszyu rose through the amateur and domestic levels to face the best boxers of his generation, including Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Hatton’s down-to-earth attitude endeared him to fans around the world, and he was open about the mental health struggles he suffered after retiring from the ring.
He had restarted training before his death and was scheduled to take part in a fight in Dubai in December. His family had stated that he was “in a good place” and “excited for the future.”
His death sparked a debate about whether enough was being done to help sports stars after their retirement.
Sports promoter Barry Hearn said all sporting bodies and the Government needed to look at the issue of athletes no longer living under the spotlight and urged everyone to help “in our own little way”.
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