The World Boxing Association announced on Sunday that former two-division world champion British boxer Ricky Hatton has died at the age of 46. Known as ‘the Hitman,’ Hatton won the WBA, IBO, and IBF light-welterweight titles and the WBA welterweight world championship during his 15-year professional career before retiring in 2012.
He was scheduled to make a comeback for an event in Dubai later this year. “A true champion, an indomitable spirit, and a legend of the sport. Your legacy will live on in every fight and in the hearts of boxing fans around the world,” the WBA said in a statement.
Greater Manchester Police stated that a body was found Sunday morning at an address in Hyde, in the northern English city. A police spokesperson said, “The death is not being treated as suspicious.”
Hatton had a career record of 45 wins in 48 bouts. However, in the years following his retirement, he openly discussed his struggles with depression, alcohol, and drugs, and revealed that he had attempted suicide multiple times. “I was coming off the rails with my drinking and that led to drugs. It was like a runaway train,” he told BBC radio in 2016.
Hatton’s career highlight came in 2005 when he stopped Australian Kostya Tszyu to add the IBF light-welterweight title to his existing WBU belt. He maintained a perfect 43-0 record until his first defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas in 2007, after which he was never quite the same. His second loss came in 2009 when Manny Pacquiao knocked him out.
“Today we lost not only one of Britain’s greatest boxers, but a friend, a mentor, a warrior, Ricky Hatton,” former light-welterweight champion and fellow British boxer Amir Khan posted on X.
Khan added, “Ricky, thank you for everything. For your fights, your moments of glory, your grit. Thank you for pushing us, showing us what’s possible… you’ll always have your place in the ring of our memories.”
