Ricky Hatton took British boxing to a new fever pitch of excitement when he stormed through the ranks. There was something special in the air when he fought, a joy and a thrill in the sport that was unique.
Two-weight world champion Hatton, an iconic and much loved figure in British sport, passed away on Sunday at the age of 46.
Matthew Macklin, who trained with Hatton at Billy Graham’s gym, was alongside him during his rise to the top.
“He went from fighting in a leisure centre to the Velodrome, to the MEN [the Manchester Arena] sectioned down, to banging it out quite quickly,” Macklin told Sky Sports. “It was unbelievable.
“That four-, five-year period, I look back and it was just a fantastic time in all of our lives. For me personally I look back and think how lucky I was to be blessed to be a part of it.”
The enthusiasm for Hatton took over British sport and went international when an army of fans came over to the States with him for his run of big fights in Las Vegas.
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American promoter and television executive Lou DiBella told Sky Sports News: “He’s going to be remembered frankly as being maybe one of the most approachable athletes ever.
“That was the beauty of Ricky. Was there anyone who ever represented Manchester more loyally or better? Was there anyone frankly who represented the UK in boxing any better? He was everyman. He was the most approachable.
“The only fighter that I can compare the impact of him, to his own community, to his own country, to his own people and then eventually to the world, was the greatest of all time Muhammad Ali. That’s the kind of impact Ricky had on the people of Manchester, on the people of England and then eventually on the world.”
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DiBella added: “If you met Ricky Hatton and you spent any time with him you generally walked away feeling like he was your friend and that was the case for millions of people in Great Britain and the entirety of Manchester, every fan of Manchester City football team. Ricky was special, Ricky was different.
“If you believe that there’s one fundamental rule in life: treat other people like you want to be treated, the gates of heaven swung open widely for Ricky Hatton.”
Boxing announcer Michael Buffer, whose voice, over the din of that epic British crowd, formed the soundtrack to Hatton’s finest moments, was overcome by his memories of the star, especially his homecoming after defeat to Floyd Mayweather.
Hatton returned to a hero’s welcome when he headlined for the first time at the stadium of his beloved Manchester City Football Club in 2008. “When I announced his name, he put his arm around me and I said his name right to his face. It was a great moment,” Buffer said, choking with emotion. “He was just special. It’s hard to even talk about it now.
“It was always so exciting because whenever I introduced him there was always that massive crowd and love and everything,” he told Sky Sports News. “I don’t think Vegas has ever had an invasion like that… ‘There’s only one Ricky Hatton’ it just reverberated through the casino and the hotel, it was amazing.”
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Teddy Atlas, a leading boxing expert, explained what set Hatton apart. “The ring is the chamber of truth. In that way there’s never been a more honest fighter than Ricky Hatton. Think about what that encapsulates. I mean he just gave you everything every time he got in the ring,” Atlas told Sky Sports News. “He poured it all out. He was always committed to doing everything that he could do to get to that other guy from bell to bell. He was everything that a fight fan wants.
“Never give up, never give in, find a way and that’s what Ricky did.”
“We’ve lost an example,” Atlas added. “Fighters like him teach us that we can be better, that we can do what we’re not supposed to do and that’s a great loss.”
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Hatton’s rise was special because he brought his fans, and eventually the country, along with him.
“They could relate to him. That’s the key,” Macklin said. “Hatton’s popularity came through his connection with the fans because they could identify and relate and felt like they were the same as him.
“Things snowball, if they’re real. If they’re not real, they won’t get off the ground. They felt a part of it because he made them feel a part of it. He engaged with them, he included them. He spoke to them, so they were on that journey with him.
“It was unbelievable, and he made people feel a part of it.”
