“There’s only one Ricky Hatton, one Ricky Hatton, walking along, singing a song, walking in a Hatton wonderland.” The lines echoed loudly. At a Berlin pub, Leeds fans sang their hearts out. The man in the song, Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton, was right in the middle, mingling and taking photos with everyone. No pretence and cheerful, as always. The clip is almost a decade old. But the song has entered boxing immortality. Today, those words carry sorrow. Ricky Hatton passed away yesterday.

He was 46, just weeks short of his 47th birthday. Reports say the boxing legend was found dead at his Manchester home. Police have not treated his death as suspicious, it seems. Ricky Hatton, one of the greatest boxers from the United Kingdom, stayed popular long after his retirement. Fans remember his famous win over Kostya Tszyu and his losses to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. An outpouring of condolences followed. Shocked and in disbelief, many in the boxing world joined fans in mourning one of the finest fighters of the modern era.

The boxing world mourns Ricky Hatton

Following The Ring Magazine‘s tribute, Mike Tyson‘s son Amir Tyson found himself overcome with emotion. Perhaps struggling for words, on his Instagram Story that featured Ricky Hatton’s photo, he simply wrote, “Damn, that’s crazy, bro, smfh.”

“The Ring is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Ring Magazine super-lightweight champion, Ricky Hatton. Our deepest sympathies are with Ricky’s friends and family at this time,” read the message from The Ring Magazine.

Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and UFC chief Dana White also paid homage to the British icon. But perhaps the most heartfelt message came from Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia, one of Hatton’s closest friends. An International Hall of Famer like Hatton, the Mexican great fought him in an exhibition two years ago.

A people’s champ

“Ricky was a once-in-a-lifetime man. I am eternally grateful I got to share the ring with him. May he rest in peace; he will be missed deeply. Ricky was my closest friend in boxing. I’ll miss you, my friend. There will only be one Ricky Hatton,” Barrera wrote on X.

Reportedly, Ricky Hatton was planning a comeback fight in December 2025.

In 2012, three years after his brutal second-round loss to Pacquiao, Hatton fought his last professional bout. He faced Vyacheslav Senchenko of Ukraine. The fight ended in an early stoppage. But it was the years before, especially from 2005, when Hatton became a household name in Britain. After the retirement of Prince Naseem Hamed and Frank Bruno, Hatton filled the void, becoming one of the sport’s biggest draws.

His 2005 win over Tim Tszyu’s father, in front of a sold-out Manchester crowd, remains unforgettable. Fearless in the ring, he was loved outside it for being down to earth. Mayweather and Pacquiao broke his dreams of welterweight glory. But no one forgets the thousands of British fans who traveled to Las Vegas for those fights.

After retiring, Hatton battled personal struggles. Yet he earned respect as a trainer and mentor.

Manchester City, the team Hatton loved the most, paid one of the most touching tributes. The manager, Pep Guardiola, reflected, “I don’t remember the one (silence) so-so intense like today. There are no words that can contain the pain that the family feels right now for this loss…”

Ricky Hatton remained an inspiration to young fighters. A throwback to another era, he stayed humble, smiling, and approachable no matter how high he climbed.

Truly, there will only ever be one…

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