As Ricky Hatton’s parents endure the unthinkable tragedy of losing a child, their grief is no doubt exacerbated by their decade-long estrangement from their son.
The Stockport-born father and grandfather was found dead at his Greater Manchester home aged 46, just weeks after dramatically announcing his return to the ring.
Aside from a brief reconciliation in 2019, Ricky had fallen out with his parents Carol, 72, and Ray Hatton, 74, over ‘missing’ money, and their estrangement caused the former world champion to, in his own words, ‘hit rock bottom’.
In a 2022 interview with the BBC, following his crushing defeat to boxing great Manny Pacquiao, he referred to the impact of the family fallout, saying: ‘I just went on the war path. I was suicidal. I tried killing myself several times, but couldn’t do it. So then I thought to myself, “I will drink and drug myself to death”.’
Although he reconciled with his parents in 2019, their uneasy truce fell apart again in 2023 when a documentary resurfaced allegations that ‘millions’ of pounds had gone missing from Ricky’s fortune – and that his father was to blame.
The boxer never went into details about the financial dispute but said that he and Ray knew ‘exactly what happened and why it is an issue’.
‘I said I needed him to do certain things that I thought were fair or lose me,’ he said. ‘Whatever his reasons he chose his path and he has to live by his choices, as do I and my family.’
Former boxing world champion Ricky Hatton (pictured) died aged 46 on Sunday – and in the years before, his life was marred with a family rift
The Hitman’s mother, Carol Hatton (pictured) previously detailed her fallout with her son in conversation with The Daily Mail
Ricky, born in Stockport in October 1978, grew up on the Hattersley estate in the Tameside area of Greater Manchester.
His parents owned four pubs, including the one on the estate – next door to the home of the Moors murderers.
The boxer previously credited his upbringing in-and-around his parents’ pubs, with instilling in him the hardworking attitude that drove his career.
However, as his star power rose, Ricky’s relationship with his parents, who encouraged him so much as a child, became more fractious.
In 2012, father and son got into a physical altercation in a car park, which ended with Ray punching Ricky in the face. He was later arrested and cautioned over the incident.
At the time, the pair were already estranged after falling out over money and were embroiled in a row over access to Ricky’s newborn daughter Millie.
He claimed that he’d never stopped his parents seeing her, and was outraged when he received a solicitor’s letter saying they wanted contact with their granddaughter.
Ricky was angry that they had not invited his then partner Jennifer to a family event on Christmas Day, and asked his solicitor to deny their request.
‘Despite the issues between us, Jennifer had made the attempt to keep them involved. It was all such a mess,’ he told Manchester Evening News.
‘The letters went back and forth and I put a few home truths in them. It was bitter and horrible, as things often are when you get solicitors involved. I did not want any of it, but did feel the need to defend myself.’
After the car park incident, he sold his flat in a Tenerife holiday complex where his parents and brother also owned a property and moved his seat at Manchester City so that he would not run into Ray on match days.
His brother Matthew was also a casualty of the row, with Ricky claiming that he ‘sat on the fence’ and did not contact him after the car park incident.
However, by 2019, he experienced a change of heart and began to soften towards his parents.
He told Manchester Evening Times: ‘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”.
Hatton had money, fame and an adoring fan-base at his peak but has documented his troubles with both alcohol and drugs (pictured taking on Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico in Las Vegas, 2003)
Ricky fell out with his father, Ray Hatton (pictured together at a gym in Manchester, 2009) over money
‘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”.’
However, in 2023, the feud re-erupted when a documentary about The Hitman’s life revisited allegations against Ricky’s father, Ray, by his former trainer, Billy Graham.
In 2010, Graham had taken Ray to court and accused him of short-changing him for Ricky’s 2007 fight against Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas.
He said he was underpaid and given approximately £451,000, despite the total earnings for the fight standing at £10 million.
Graham said: ‘It was Ricky who I trusted. I always thought his dad would short-change me.’
Ultimately, Hatton setteld and a joint statement released after the hearing said: ‘Billy Graham, Ricky Hatton and Punch Promotions Ltd have today agreed to put their differences behind them and have ended the court proceedings on mutually acceptable terms.’
Despite the outcome, the 2023 documentary upset Ray due to his portrayal as a ‘mercenary’.
Carol shared her anguish with Daily Mail readers, after six months of radio silence from her son.
‘He was never The Hitman to us, just our son, Richard. Realising his future doesn’t include his parents is the sad realisation. We both miss him is an understatement,’ she said.
She described longing for the moment he would knock on the door for a cup of tea.
Pictured: At Home With The Hattons, from L to R, Ricky’s former girlfriend Jennifer, Ricky’s father Ray, Ricky with his son Campbell, his mother Carol, brother Matthew’ s girlfriend Jenna and brother Matthew holding his son Jack
‘I like to think I’m a proud person, I’ve got a fighting spirit,’ she said.
‘I like to think that’s where my two lads got it from, but I feel as if I’m going under. I had to get in touch with a counsellor and I actually told her, “I feel like I want to do something silly or be really, really poorly so he would come back and see me”.
‘Me and Ray are on our last lap. Nobody knows what’s around the corner. How would he feel if anything happened to either of us? ‘There’s an old saying, ‘If he can’t come seem me when I’m alive, don’t come when I’m dead with your tears’.
‘I’m on meds, Sertraline that’s for anxiety. And I’ve been asking friends for Diazepam. They’ve said, ‘Why?’. I said, ‘Oh, it’s just for somebody I know’ or ‘I just need to it to feel a little bit more chilled’.’
She vividly recalled the moment both parties severed ties yet again.
‘We were on holiday in Tenerife (in May), we had been there for about 10 days,’ she said. ‘Ray had missed a call and called Richard back. He initially said, ‘Dad, I want to invite you to watch Man City in a Champions League game’.
‘And then Ray just said to him very, very quietly, ‘Richard, we’re in Tenerife’. And then said, ‘I wouldn’t go anyway with you, son. I’ve watched the documentary privately, as I know you have Richard. To put me through all these innuendoes again by people from the documentary and you allowing them’.
‘It was complete silence at the other end of the phone. He then said, ‘Richard, I will always love you, have done from the day you were born, but unfortunately I can’t go through this again’. About 10 minutes after, I went on Instagram. Richard had deleted his dad and me.’
The boxer shared a photograph with his daughters, Millie and Fearne, while on holiday in Tenerife this summer (pictured)
The loving grandfather shared a gushing birthday tribute to his granddaughter Lyla as she turned seven just weeks ago (pictured)
Revealing her feelings about the Sky documentary, she explained: ‘I thought the first half was OK, but then you have to know the real story behind it. The documentary’s second half was directed at the allegations made against (Ray) by (Graham) regarding money missing.
‘I think the remark that really upset me, as his mum, was when somebody asks him, ”And how much are we talking about?’ in terms of money that allegedly went missing and Richard turns around and says, ‘Millions’.
‘Anybody who knows me also knows if I’d have thought for one minute any of the alleged missing money had been true, trust me there would’ve been no way I’d have been writing this letter supporting Ray.’
Ricky, whose dad Ray managed his boxing career, had long documented troubles with both alcohol and drugs. He even tried to kill himself ‘several times’, in his own words.
Yet, at one time, the former two-weight division world champion seemed to have it all. Money, fame, an adoring fan-base, and blockbuster fights lined-up against the likes of Floyd Mayweather.
His parents had made a surprise appearance at his exhibition fight against Marco Antonio Barrerain in November 2022.
‘He actually said on stage that he was not in a good place and how he was pleased Ray and myself were actually there,’ said Carol. ‘I got up and gave him a big hug. But I now question: was it all genuine?
‘If it was, how could he now go back and do this to us all over again? I just can’t get my head around it.’
Despite his strained relationship with his parents, Ricky made sure to maintain a loving bond with his children, Campbell, 24, Millie, 13, and Fearne, 12, and grandchild, Lyla, seven.
Ricky was 22 when he became a parent to his eldest Campbell, born in 2001, with his former partner Claire. Campbell, who recently retired from boxing to become a solar panel installer, became a father to his daughter Lyla in 2018, according to Manchester Evening News.
The boxer later welcomed his younger children, Millie and Fearne, with his former fiancée Jennifer Dooley.
He was a loving father until the end, and just weeks ago, he shared heartwarming images with his children via Instagram, with his profile bio stating, ‘Proud Dad of Millie, Fearne & Campbell. Grandfather to Lyla.’
Just two weeks ago, he shared a gushing tribute to Lyla on her seventh birthday. ‘Happy 7th birthday to my beautiful gorgeous granddaughter @lylahatton_. Love you baby girl. Granddad Richard.’
The boxing icon was found at his home in Greater Manchester on Sunday morning, where mourners yesterday emotionally laid floral tributes and gloves. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: ‘Officers were called by a member of the public to attend Bowlacre Road, Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45am today where they found the body of a 46-year-old man. There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.’
Nicknamed ‘the Hitman’, Hatton was an aggressive and brave fighter who held multiple world and UK titles between 1997 and 2012 – including the night he toppled Russia’s Kostya Tszyu to go from underdog to boxing sensation overnight.
The Daily Mail understands that friends were initially concerned last night, when Hatton failed to appear at a fight in Bolton involving one of his boxers, believed to be Jack Murphy, after also missing his gym session on Friday.
After retiring from the ring, he had moved into coaching but was due to return to the sport with a fight planned in Dubai in December.
Hatton, who was awarded an MBE for services to sport in 2007, had often spoken of his struggles with mental health and drug addiction.
RICKY HATTON’S MOTHER’S HEARTBREAKING LETTER
In 2023, Carol Hatton shared her anguish with the Daily Mail’s readers, and her deeply personal letter about ‘Richard’ – Ricky Hatton. It was six months since she last heard from him. Her letter in full is published here:
