Six months after his passing, the Office of the Coroner in South Manchester, England, concluded the inquest into the death of boxing veteran Ricky Hatton. A much-loved figure in British boxing, Hatton was found dead at his residence in Hyde, Greater Manchester, on September 14. He was 46 at the time.

The inquest, which opened in October, roughly a month after Ricky Hatton’s death, recorded hanging as the medical cause of death, though the question of intent remained unresolved. According to the “narrative verdict” delivered yesterday by senior coroner Alison Mutch, the circumstances of the passing of the former two-division world champion could be outlined.

“He had made significant future plans, and no notes were found indicating he intended to take his own life,” Alison Mutch’s statement, as shared by The Mirror, read. “I have listened very carefully to all the evidence. When I add everything together, I cannot be satisfied he intended to take his own life.

“Therefore, it is not possible in law for me to conclude suicide. I have concluded a narrative verdict. His intention remains unclear as he was under the influence of alcohol, and the neuropathological post-mortem found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and that’s the conclusion I draw.”

Mutch highlighted the discovery of CTE in Hatton’s brain, noting that this neurodegenerative disease, caused as a result of his boxing career, could have significantly impacted his behavior and mental state. She pointed out that Hatton was more than twice the legal drink-drive limit at the time of his death, which could have further clouded his ability to form a clear intent.

The coroner also observed that Hatton was clearly a man who was looking forward and making plans, specifically citing his scheduled exhibition match in Dubai and trips to Thailand. This suggests the act wasn’t premeditated.

In the days leading up to his death, Hatton had been spending time with his family. He planned to attend the event in Dubai. However, when he missed it, his manager went to his home and found Hatton unresponsive. Initially, his family believed his death was not planned because he was, in their words, “the best he had been for years.”

The man beyond the ring: How family and boxing remember Ricky Hatton

“We felt he was in the best place he had been in recent years,” his son Campbell Hatton said. “The family believes he was the best he had been in years and made massive plans for the future, which leads us to believe this was not premeditated. However, over the last two or three years, we all noticed a significant decline in his short-term memory. He repeated himself constantly, had to write things down, and had to be reminded about things he had to do day to day.”

In the days following Hatton’s passing, tributes poured in from across the boxing world. For a sport that had also recently mourned the losses of George Foreman and Mike McCallum, it marked another significant loss.

Though often remembered for his defeats to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, Hatton secured a lasting place among British boxing fans, who even created a song in his name – “There’s only one Ricky Hatton.”

He became a national figure after stopping Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu in front of a sold-out crowd in Manchester in 2005. Hatton announced his retirement following his final bout against Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012.

Weeks before his death, reports surfaced about a planned exhibition match. He was scheduled to fly to Dubai and had told family he was looking forward to the trip, appearing upbeat just days earlier.

While the inquest confirmed certain aspects of Hatton’s passing, questions remain about his immediate state of mind moments preceding his death. His imprint on British boxing and the generations of fans who followed his career, however, endures.