Ricky Hatton

Ricky Hatton was a world champion professional boxer who successfully transitioned into roles as a boxing promoter and trainer, becoming a revered figure in the sport. After a remarkable amateur career that saw him win seven British titles and represent his country at the 1996 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships, Ricky Hatton turned professional in September 1997 with a first-round technical knockout victory. Known to fans as ‘The Hitman,’ ‘The Manchester Mexican,’ and ‘The People’s Champion,’ Hatton quickly established his all-action fighting style, notably fighting on the Naseem Hamed vs. Kevin Kelley undercard at Madison Square Garden in 1997.

This landmark victory earned him prestigious Fighter of the Year honors from The Ring magazine, the Boxing Writers Association of America, and ESPN. He further unified the light-welterweight division by winning the WBA (Super) title against Carlos Maussa in November 2005. Moving up to welterweight in May 2006, he captured the WBA welterweight title by defeating Luis Collazo. He later retook the IBF and vacant IBO light-welterweight titles in 2007 against Juan Urango, and engaged in high-profile bouts against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

As a trainer, Hatton guided Zhanat Zhakiyanov to a world bantamweight title in 2017, further cementing his influence in the sport. In 2023, the critically acclaimed documentary ‘Hatton’ was released on Sky TV, earning him a BAFTA nomination in 2024. The same year, Hatton was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, recognizing his indelible contributions to boxing. Demonstrating his broad appeal, Hatton also competed in series 16 of ITV’s Dancing on Ice in 2024.