There have been very few British boxers to amass the achievements of Ricky Hatton.
With a career record of 45 wins and three losses, the Mancunian hitman would become one of the most popular sporting figures in Britain, and one of the best light-welterweight boxers of all time. After making a name for himself on the professional scene in his native country during the early 2000s, Hatton would defy the odds to go on to hold multiple world titles across both welterweight and light-welterweight divisions. These included WBA, WBU, IBF, IBO and Ring championships. On the surface things looked perfect for Hatton - who was enjoying a great career and ultimately living the dream, however things would begin to take a dark turn.
The bright lights of America would come calling for ‘the hitman’, and in 2007 he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr for the vacant WBC and Ring Welterweight titles. This was at the time billed as one of the biggest bouts of the last decade, and was a huge opportunity for Hatton to test himself against one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. The fight was brought to the opponent from the first bell, but ultimately it was not enough, as the towel was thrown in during the tenth round. This devastating first career loss would prove to be the ultimate catalyst for his depression, as Hatton began to struggle to come to terms with taking such a disappointing defeat in front of the world's eyes. Despite the massive payday he received, he still felt as if he had let everyone around him down, and began to shy away from appearing in public, whilst also experiencing consistent mood swings.
Speaking to Trans World Sport in 2017 on the aftermath of the Mayweather fight, Hatton said: “I’d go from going into the pub, getting a few pints down my neck and then before you know it I'm sat in the corner crying, and everyone’s going ‘look at that, that was the champ’. It was a very hard time for friends, family, and just everyone in the local area because I'm thought so well of in this area, they could see me crumbling and there was nothing they could do about it.
“If you turned round and said ‘I have got mental health issues’ then people think you have lost the plot, you’re a nutcase, and that's why I think people are scared of coming out and saying ‘listen - I’ve got mental health problems’.”
Hatton would bounce back from the Mayweather loss by winning his next two fights on the bounce, defeating Juan Lazcano and Paulie Malignaggi respectively under the lights in Las Vegas. However a brutal second round defeat to Manny Pacquiao six months later would take an increased toll on the deteriorating mental wellbeing of the boxer, with the loss of his titles too much to take. Hatton immediately decided to retire from the sport, and would quickly become frightened by the amount of spare time he now had on his hands. The former world champion was consumed by a downwards spiral into alcohol and drug abuse, and found himself regularly contemplating suicide. The removal of the pressures that come with boxing professionally had caused an apparent identity loss within himself, with the retired boxer resorting to trying to drink himself to death.
Thankfully Hatton was able to attend rehabilitation, and would learn to manage his mental health issues. He has since made a final return to the ring in 2012, and is now a full time boxing trainer - which he sees as the next best thing for himself as a retired fighter. With his experiences inside and outside of the ring, it is certain that Ricky Hatton will help to guide generations of talented British boxers long into the future.