Boxing legend Ricky Hatton laid to rest as thousands line Manchester streets
Boxing legend Ricky Hatton has been laid to rest in front of a host of famous faces as thousands of mourners lined the streets of Manchester.
Hatton, 46, who unified the light-welterweight division and also won a world welterweight title, was found dead at his home in Hyde on September 14.
The funeral procession started at 9:45am from his local Cheshire Cheese Pub before heading onwards to Manchester Cathedral.
Celebrities including Liam Gallagher, Tyson Fury and Wayne Rooney were in attendance as the sky blue coffin was brought to the service, a nod to Hatton’s beloved Manchester City.
Thousands lined the streets earlier in the day as the procession stopped off at the fighter’s gym and the AO Arena, where he enjoyed some of his finest moments.
Oasis frontman Gallagher, a long-time friend of Hatton, accompanied him on his ring walk once against Paulie Malignaggi in 2008.
Famous faces from the boxing community also turned out including Fury, Frank Bruno, Tony Bellew and Frank Bruno.
Former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff also arrived at the cathedral.
The cortege was led by the famous Reliant van from Only Fools and Horses as hundreds of people lined the streets of Manchester to pay their respects to the “Hitman."
As mourners arrived at the service, a brass band played Winter Wonderland in tribute to the "There’s Only One Ricky Hatton" chant.
Hundreds of people outside broke into applause as the funeral cortege arrived.
Following a private memorial service at midday, the commemorative march headed to the Etihad Stadium, the home of Man City.
Outside the cathedral, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said: “Ricky was a true working class hero and you can tell that by the numbers that are here outside.“
He told Sky Sports News: "When I was elected mayor, I would turn up and he’d be there at a corner of an event, sometimes a very low-key event.
"He turned up for people – you can’t say that about everybody in life but Ricky turned up for people, and that really matters.
"He should be remembered first and foremost for getting to the top of his game and for giving that pride to this place in the country."
News of Hatton’s death was announced just hours before the Manchester derby, with a minute’s applause held immediately before kick-off by players and fans of both clubs.
It was just one of innumerable tributes to the ’Hitman,’ including from former world heavyweight champions Frank Bruno, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, fellow Briton Amir Khan, one-time foe Manny Pacquiao and Roberto Duran, Hatton’s hero.
Hatton’s career brought him 45 wins and three defeats from 48 fights but it was his down-to-earth demeanour that especially endeared him to fellow professionals and fans around the world.
Tens of thousands of fans followed him to Las Vegas, where he fought the two pound-for-pound greatest fighters of his era in Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao.
Hatton suffered his first professional defeat when he was stopped by Mayweather in 2007 while a vicious second-round knockout by Pacquiao two years later precipitated his fall from top-level boxing.
A misguided comeback attempt against Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012 marked the first public admission Hatton was struggling to cope in retirement.
Why was an Only Fools and Horses van at Ricky Hatton’s funeral?
A famous van from the popular sitcom Only Fools and Horses was a surprising addition to the funeral procession.
It is thought the boxer was a big fan of the show and family members were keen to see this reflected in their tributes.
Only Fools was broadcast from 1981 to 1991 and had various specials continuing until 2003.
Head of Investigations
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