Boxing

Ricky Hatton’s end heart – being “one of the boys”

Published

1 year ago

September 30, 2025

Image: Ricky Hatton’s Heartbreaking Final Wish — To Be “One of the Boys”

Ricky Hatton has never been a polished type of star. It was not created for velvet ropes or supple tributes. He was a manchester to the bone-loyal, steadfast working class. And four days before his death at the age of 46, he said, most importantly for him, he wanted to be remembered as “one of the boys.”

The man we knew Hitman He was found dead at his house in Manchester on Sunday, September 14. The shock was broken by British boxing and more. He spent decades, throwing hooks that made the arenas shake, but what he wanted was no more belts or headers. It belonged – beloved like Frank Bruno, loved by his own city and accepted by fans who saw him.

“I was a man of the people”

Talking to the former world champion Darren Barker in what became his last intelligence, Hatton put it. “I am very proud when people say” our honestly “and” Our Ricky, “he said. “I am not saying that we were the best, but we were probably the two most loved. I was a man of people, Jack-Te-Lad, a boy from a day who could not give two s **** and say as it is.

He added: “I would prefer to be Ricky Hatton than the greatest in history, but everyone thinks I’m advertising.” For a warrior who packed 22,000 on the men’s arena and 30,000 in Las Vegas, he says it all. People remember me as a hell warrior, but also one of the boys. “

Fame has never changed the kid from the property

Hatton told Barker that his life remained close to his roots even after glory. “Life has changed for me, my children and my family when I defeated Kostya Teszyu. But I don’t think I changed too much. Even today, the salary I lead, and the house I have is only 10 minutes from the council’s assets.

“Even with all the frigid things that I achieved through boxing, I still go to local and play darts on Monday evening and play football for veterinarians on Sunday afternoon. My colleagues are now the same colleagues with whom I went to school, without slow newcomers, always the same colleagues.”

This stubborn loyalty – towards pubs, partners, to Manchester City, to the same venerable streets – was what the fans felt. He was a hero who could enter every pub and did not have to buy a mug. Children who have never seen how he fights live, still stop him for photos because they saw clips and sensed reality.

Fighting with your own shadows, helping others with them

Hatton did not hide this life after boxing. Losses for Mayweather and Pacquiao left scars and then depression. But he refused to stay. He got aid. Then he used his pain to aid others.

“I didn’t want to tell my colleagues or family, I didn’t want to worry them, so I kept it,” he told Barker. “I entered the gym or in a pub and I was the life and soul of the party, even more than normal, because I tried to excessively compensate for what was happening in me.

“Nobody knew and it was very arduous. I thought I could sort it, but I couldn’t. The best thing I did was that I realized that I could beat him or him, I could do it or do it, but I couldn’t sort it myself and I had to talk to someone and the best thing I did.

“You feel that you can talk to a stranger better than your family or friends. You don’t go to boys – and I have good colleagues – but you don’t feel like that. I did with my mother and dad and I split with my Missus and I didn’t want to worry about the rest of the family. So you keep it and I didn’t hold it.”

After obtaining aid, Hatton used his experience to aid others. “Some of my boxers tell me that they repaid their mortgages and thanked me – that’s what it is about,” he said. Letters came from people who heard his story and found hope. This gave him the goal: “It makes me feel good that I helped others.”

A warrior who never left us

Hatton did not want statues or saint. He wanted to be a boy from the street who made him huge, but he never looked at anyone. It’s uncommon in boxing – or anywhere. Or maybe that’s why the news of his death crosses so deeply.

He survived brutal nights, public defeats, private battles, and he still found strength to tell an intimidated child to keep his chin a few days before leaving. If this is not the size, what is it?

Rest straightforward, Ricky. You were one of us – and you will always be one of the boys.

Watch a full interview:

Amy Kaplan is a box of boxing since she was 10 years venerable, which means that she spent most of her life, explaining to people that yes, they really prefer nights of fighting at parties. Now, writing to Boxing News 24, it covers everything from the fight for the title of world champion to perspectives swinging as at the day of payment. It combines acute analysis with sarcasm, calling for boxing policy and crossing the spin with the release of the press to give fans stories that actually matter.

Last updated 09/30/2025

Boxing

Devin Haney Confident Ahead of Dec. 19 Title Unification Battle with Liam Paro

Published

8 hours ago

November 5, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Devin Haney Confident Ahead of Dec. 19 Title Unification Battle with Liam Paro"

A formal press release was issued today announcing the December 19 welterweight title unification between Devin Haney and Liam Paro at San Francisco’s Chase Center, and in anticipation of the meeting with a co-feature of Brian Norman vs Abel RamosHaney shared his excitement for what he expects to be another successful outing to snag some more hardware.

“My resume speaks for itself,” Haney said. “I’ve never been afraid to go into a champion’s backyard and put my record on the line. I went to Australia, took George Kambosos’ belts, and became undisputed lightweight champion of the world. Now I’m bringing another Australian world champion, Liam Paro, into my backyard. This time, I plan to take his belt and become a unified welterweight world champion right here at home.
“Oakland is where my story started, and the Bay Area has always been part of who I am. The Valkyries just brought a championship to Chase Center, and on December 19, I plan to keep that championship energy going.

“I made history in Australia. Now it’s time to make history at home.”

Paro, however hopes to upset the odds, knowing he’ll be coming into this fight as a decided underdog.

“Three years ago, I was on the undercard at Chase Center the night Devin fought Regis Prograis,” Paro said. “I said back then that Haney versus Paro rolls off the tongue. Now it’s here. Champion versus champion, two belts on the line, in his backyard.

“I’ve never taken the easy road. I went to Puerto Rico and took the title off Matias in front of his own people. Devin’s a great fighter and I respect that. But I’ve been the underdog plenty of times and I’ve made history before. December 19, I’m coming to unify the division and make more history.”

With the WBO and IBF welterweight world titles on the line, one fight will be heading into the new year halfway to undisputed.

Boxing

Liam Paro Set to Face Devin Haney at Chase Center for Title Showdown

Published

8 hours ago

November 5, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Liam Paro Set to Face Devin Haney at Chase Center for Title Showdown"

Liam Paro served as supporting cast the last time Devin Haney headlined at Chase Center. Come December 19, he walks into San Francisco carrying the IBF welterweight title, gunning to strip Haney of his WBO strap.

Three years transformed Paro from an undercard face into a headline attraction. He watched Haney shut out Regis Prograis from the locker room in December 2023. Now he commands the marquee, even if getting US fight fans to open their wallets on pay-per-view presents an uphill battle.

“Three years ago, I was on the undercard at Chase Center the night Devin fought Regis Prograis. I said back then that Haney versus Paro rolls off the tongue. Now it is here. Champion versus champion, two belts on the line, in his backyard. I have never taken the easy road. I went to Puerto Rico and took the title off Matias in front of his own people,” Paro stated.

The Australian proved his mettle by snatching the 140-pound crown from Subriel Matias on hostile soil. Richardson Hitchins took it right back six months later, checking Paro’s momentum before mainstream crowds took notice.

The jump to 147 pounds provided the reboot he needed. Three straight wins, capped by a gritty points victory over Lewis Crocker to claim the IBF strap, set the stage for this encounter.

Haney ends a lengthy layoff on home turf. Sitting out more than twelve months makes asking fans to purchase a DAZN PPV against a fighter unknown to mainstream viewers a tough sell. Belts by themselves rarely move the needle at the box office.

Brian Norman Jr. takes on Abel Ramos in the ten-round co-feature. Norman dropped his WBO belt to Haney last November and must now accept undercard placement on his conqueror’s bill.

Paro earned his position the hard way. December 19 decides if his punch output can upset the hometown favorite or if Haney cruises behind his jab.

Boxing

Tyson Fury Dismantles Wilders Career: A Turning Point in Their Ongoing Rivalry

Published

10 hours ago

November 5, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Tyson Fury Dismantles Wilder's Career: A Turning Point in Their Ongoing Rivalry"

Tyson Fury sees little point in Deontay Wilder stepping inside a ring again, an inconvenient stance given Wilder’s spot on his upcoming December 11 card. Labeling the former champion “shot to bits” severely undercuts Jai Opetaia’s heavyweight entrance, turning a marquee pairing into an exercise in past glory.

Wilder meets the undefeated cruiserweight ruler at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, supporting the Netflix headliner between Fury and Anthony Joshua. Opetaia carries a spotless 31-0 record into the division. Wilder enters at 45-4-1. While the American’s presence guarantees instant marquee value, Fury openly questions if any real substance remains.

“Silly for Deontay’s part,” Fury remarked to FightHype regarding the bout. “He shouldn’t be nowhere near a ring. It’s a dying shame that this man has to continue to fight when he’s shot to bits.”

Fury argued Wilder should have walked away after their brutal 2021 trilogy finale. He referenced Wilder’s narrow split decision over Derek Chisora in April to illustrate the decline, pointing out that Chisora walked through shots that once ended nights instantly.

This goes well beyond standard fight banter or favoring the younger fighter. Fury insists any ring appearance by Wilder is a mistake, no matter the rival. Sharing thirty rounds across three savage encounters gives his assessment real credibility, even with his typical theatrical flair taken into account.

That leaves promoters with an awkward narrative. Wilder’s box office appeal relies entirely on the sudden violence of his equalizer. If the card’s headline attraction claims that thunder is gone, fans are paying for nostalgia rather than prime danger.

Opetaia faces a distinct reputational limit because of it. A dominant performance adds a legendary heavyweight scalp to his ledger, yet it will not convince skeptics he can challenge the division elite. Fury provided the counterargument months in advance: the opponent should have stepped away long ago.

The move up remains hazardous for the Australian. Stepping up in weight brings obvious physical disadvantages, and assuming Wilder is completely toothless would be reckless. Opetaia must rely on sharp footwork, making the veteran chase shadows instead of giving him a stationary target.

Diminished skills can still pack enough punch to alter someone venturing north of 200 pounds. Even so, this version barely resembles the wrecking ball who defended the WBC belt ten times.

Fury tore through the promotional sheen around this contest. Opetaia gets his crack at the famous Bronze Bomber name, but the card’s top star insists the man in Cardiff belongs in the crowd, not under the lights.

What’s interesting is how Fury is eager to declare Wilder finished, yet plenty of fans see his main event with Joshua as two faded names cashing in before the wheels fall off completely.

If Joshua catches him and puts him away early, the reaction will be merciless. The narrative will immediately flip to Fury being a shell of the giant who outboxed Wladimir Klitschko or battered Wilder in their rematch.

When a fighter spends years taking heavy punishment, blowing up between camps, and showing diminished punch resistance, the drop-off rarely happens gradually. It comes all at once.

Ever since the Francis Ngannou knockdown, Fury’s aura of invincibility has vanished. He was hurt badly and dropped by Oleksandr Usyk, and even in his recent bouts against big punchers like Arslanbek Makhmudov, he showed far less mobility and far more vulnerability to clean shots. His legs do not bail him out of trouble the way they used to.

Joshua rebuilt his career against lower-tier opposition, Kristian Prenga, and a crossover fight with Jake Paul, but the memory of being taken apart by Daniel Dubois, Oleksandr Usyk, and flattened by Andy Ruiz Jr. never truly disappeared. He remains cautious, mechanical, and prone to freezing.

If Joshua lands the clean right hand and flattens him, Fury will not have any room to complain about the commentary that follows. You cannot publicly brand your former rival a walking corpse on your undercard, then expect sympathy when the boxing public decides Father Time caught up to you on the very same night.