By Sam Morgan
RICKY HATTON has revealed that he has finally ended his nine-year feud with his parents.
And the Hitman, a former light-welterweight and welterweight world champion, has opened up on the crushing lows of his career, which included trying to take his own life after his 2007 defeat to Floyd Mayweather.
British boxing legend Hatton, 40, had a massive bust-up with dad Ray and mum Carol nearly a decade ago over money.
That led to a car-park punch up with his father in which Hatton – who ended up clocking his dad with a left to end the fight – said he walked away “in bits”.
But it was another heartbreaking moment that ended with Hatton extending an olive branch to his parents.
They eventually made up on a night out at Manchester restaurant San Carlo in February, with Hatton, alongside girlfriend Charlie, posing for a photo with his mum and dad.
Hatton told the Manchester Evening News: “Ultimately when I fell out with my parents, I hit rock bottom. I didn’t care whether I lived or died to be honest with you.
“A few of my school friends are the same age as me, their parents were having heart attacks and I was going to their funerals.
“And I thought to myself ‘I’m 40 now, I’m at an age where our parents might not be here much longer’.
“So if their parents are getting ill and passing away and all that, it’s not going to be long before mine go.
“I just made the effort to think ‘listen you know, let bygones be bygones, leave things in the past. That’s it’.”
Hatton’s battle with drug and drink addiction has been well documented.
Key moments in Hatton’s boxing career
- September 1997 – Wins his professional debut against Colin McAuley at Kingsway Leisure Centre in Widnes.
- May 1999 – Beats Dillon Carew to claim WBO inter-continental light welterweight title.
- June 2005 – Announces himself on the global stage by beating Kostya Tszyu to claim IBF light welterweight belt.
- December 2007 – Hatton’s corner throw in the towel during his clash with Floyd Mayweather to hand him his first professional defeat at the Battle of the Undefeated in Las Vegas.
- May 2008 – The Hitman beats Juan Lazcano in Manchester to retain IBO light welterweight title.
- May 2009 – Manny Pacquio defeats Hatton in the second round by KO with IBO super lightweight championship on the line.
- September 2012 – Loses final fight to Vyacheslav Senchenko and announces retirement.
But it was following his December 2007 defeat to Floyd Mayweather that he felt probably his worst, despite banking more than £25million throughout his career up to that point.
So much so, in fact, that the Stockport-born superstar – who allegedly snorted cocaine in a Manchester hotel room in 2010 – came close to trying to take his own life following his first professional loss.
He added: “I was always very depressed, even when I was a youngster. And then I had loads of success at boxing and then I didn’t. First time I had my defeat, it was very hard to come to terms with. If I hadn’t fallen out with my mum and dad I don’t think I would’ve been as stupid to do that [reportedly using cocaine]. I didn’t care whether I lived or died.”
Article courtesy of The Sun
Recent Comments