Tyson Fury, Liam Gallagher among mourners at funeral of Ricky Hatton / Photo: Oli SCARFF - AFP
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Tyson Fury, Liam Gallagher among mourners at funeral of Ricky Hatton
Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Manchester on Friday as stars from the sporting world gathered to bid a final farewell to British former world champion Ricky Hatton.
Hatton, a popular, larger-than-life character who unified the light-welterweight division and also won a world welterweight title, was found dead at his home last month.
Greater Manchester Police said they were not treating the death of the 46-year-old as suspicious.
Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, ex-Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and Oasis singer Liam Gallagher arrived at the cathedral for the service.
Gallagher was a long-time friend of Hatton, accompanying him on his ring walk against Paulie Malignaggi in 2008.
A funeral procession started at 9:45 am (0845 GMT) at the boxer's local pub, the Cheshire Cheese.
A truck carrying Hatton's yellow three-wheeler car was at the head of the funeral procession, with the name "Ricky" spelt out in flowers.
Stops included Hatton's boxing gym and the AO Arena, where he enjoyed some of his finest nights.
Following a private memorial service at midday, the procession was due to head to the Etihad Stadium, the home of Hatton's beloved Manchester City.
Fury paid tribute to Hatton, nicknamed the "Hitman", on social media.
"I'm not going to be alone when I say this, but Ricky inspired me as a young boy to go on and do great things in boxing," he said.
"I wanted to be just like him. The ring walks, the flashy shorts, the fans, the chanting."
Another British former world champion, Amir Khan, who flew in from Dubai to attend the funeral, said Hatton had left a "massive legacy".
Hatton won multiple world titles. His aggressive style made him one of the most popular British boxers of his generation, winning 45 of his 48 professional bouts after his debut in 1997.
He earned notable world title wins over Kostya Tszyu and Jose Luis Castillo before defeats by Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao.
Hatton was candid about the mental health issues he faced after he retired from the ring for a second time following an ill-advised comeback attempt against Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012.
In a BBC interview in 2016, he described his struggles with drinking and drugs and revealed he had tried to take his own life several times.
Having participated in a no-scoring exhibition against Mexico's Marco Antonio Barrera in 2022, Hatton announced in July he would return to the ring in a professional bout in Dubai in December.
E.Janssens--JdB
