Ricky ‘Hitman’ Hatton made his name as a ferocious body punching champion who slugged his way from the streets of Manchester to the pinnacle of the boxing world in Las Vegas. He unified the world title in the jr-welterweight division. But in an exclusive piece with ESPN Hatton has detailed the toughest fight of his life, came outside of the squared circle and with depression.
Ten years ago, Ricky Hatton was undefeated and heading into one of the biggest match-ups of the fistic era against fellow undefeated welterweight Floyd Mayweather Jr, Hatton says that defeat in that fight is what started a vicious cycle of battling his inner demons.
“I think that was the start of it,” Hatton exclusively told ESPN. “I think I always had it in my makeup because even as an amateur people were always talking about me having the potential to become a world champion and then when I first turned pro people would say ‘oh this could be the next star!”
— Ricky Hatton MBE (@HitmanHatton) December 8, 2017
“I used to get paranoid on a regular basis when people started talking about me. Do they think I’m a little big head? Do they think I’m too big for my boots? Do they think I’m arrogant?
“If I walked down the street I thought people were looking at me thinking ‘there’s that little cocky so-and-so’ which I (have never) been but in my mind, that’s how I felt.”
“I think I always had it but then when the defeat came against Mayweather that’s when it kicked off properly;” ‘The Hitman’ added.
“I cancelled all my engagements and all my appearances [after the fight], I was so embarrassed.” Hatton said, on his feelings following losing his undefeated record against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“I didn’t go in there thinking I was lucky to get the biggest payday of my life and fight Floyd Mayweather. I went in there genuinely believing I was going to beat him”
EXCLUSIVE: @HitmanHatton discusses *that* photo with @Tyson_Fury and why “Fury will shock the world.”
WATCH in full here: https://t.co/PoBgUieiwIpic.twitter.com/YIiwcYPpcL
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) December 11, 2017
It's ten years since @FloydMayweather donned a Manchester United shirt to wind up @HitmanHatton at their press conference 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/sVIRyC3Nxy
— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) December 8, 2017
Hatton put the loss to Mayweather in the rearview mirror and put together back-to-back victories against Juan Lazcano and Paulie Malignaggi.
However, another high profile fight with another pound-for-pound contender in Manny Pacquiao ended in a brutal knockout and that sent him crashing back down to earth.
Ricky Hatton shared it took the birth of his second daughter to finally wake up, smell the coffee and try to sort out his struggles
“My ex Jennifer at the time was dragging me through it. Things happen for a reason and we weren’t planning for another baby me and Jennifer but Millie came along my first daughter.”
“I held her in my arms and I just said ‘listen, Rick, you’ve got to get yourself together not just for your own health but listen you’ve got another little baby here now, you’ve got to get yourself together.”
.@HitmanHatton talks to @bigdaddybunce about the rivalry between Man City & Man Utd. Who are you backing today?
More here: https://t.co/1Rg643IJG5pic.twitter.com/dvyjbAmUP5
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) December 10, 2017
“I came to the conclusion I can’t do it myself. I’ve got my little baby and I can’t have this baby and think I can carry on and be able to sort this problem out by myself.
“Jennifer helped me. If Jennifer hadn’t been there I would have been in a really bad place. I would have been on my own to be honest if I hadn’t had Jennifer.
“I think when Millie came along though, I think somebody up there said you need something to focus on sunshine and that’s what it did.”
Hatton is not the only high profile British fighter to battle bouts of depression. Tyson Fury and Frank Bruno are high profile heavyweight champions who have also suffered similar treacherous paths.
“I think me, Tyson [Fury] and Frank [Bruno] and a few other boxers coming out and saying it,” Hatton said. “It’s hard for a man to come out and say ‘I’m crying all day me, please help me out here, I need help.’
“I ended up going to speak to someone and getting it off my chest was the way forward for me.
“Then I started looking at myself and getting myself fit. I wasn’t even thinking comeback, I was just thinking (to get) myself right for my family now and that was the start really.”
“I had my comeback fight [against Senchenko], felt really proud of my career, fought my demons, got through them all, [but] you still have to find things to do to fill time,” Hatton concluded.
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