Boxing
Watch LIVE – Ricky Hatton’s Last Ride: Manchester says goodbye to its struggling son
Published
12 months agoon
Thousands of people are expected to fill the streets of Greater Manchester as Ricky Hatton takes his last ride through the city he fought for, bled for and was proud of. The 18-kilometer procession will start at 9:45 a.m. from ul Cheshire Cheese Pub in Hydeone of Hatton’s senior haunts where pints once flowed as freely as his left hook.
The route will pass through places associated with his life and career – the gyms, pubs and roads that shaped ‘Hitman’ from a working-class kid into a world champion who catapulted Manchester into the boxing spotlight. Everything ends at Manchester Cathedralwhere a private memorial service will be held for family and close friends.
Ricky Hatton has never been the glamorous superstar type. It wasn’t made for velvet ropes or dainty tributes. He was Manchester to the core – cheeky, working class and true. And four days before his death at the age of 46, he said that what mattered most to him was to be remembered as “one of the boys.”
The man we knew Hitman was found dead at his home in Manchester on Sunday, September 14. The shock shook British boxing and beyond. He spent decades throwing hooks that shook arenas, and yet he had no desire for more belts or headlines. It was belonging – being loved like Frank Bruno, adored by his hometown and accepted by fans who saw themselves in him.
“I was a man of the people”
In a conversation with former world champion Darren Barker in what became his final interview, Hatton laid bare the information. “I’m very proud when people say ‘our Frank’ and ‘our Ricky,'” he said. “I’m not saying we were the best, but we were probably the two most loved. I was a man of the people, the boy next door who couldn’t give it his all and told it like it was. The best thing that came out of my retirement was the love I received from the fans. “
He added: “I’d rather be Ricky Hatton than the greatest of all time, but for everyone to think I’m a publicity head.” For a player who has amassed 22,000 in the MEN Arena and 30,000 in Las Vegas, that says it all. People remember me as a damn warrior, but also as one of the boys.
Fame never changed a mansion kid
Hatton told Barker that his life remained close to his roots even after the glory. “Life changed for me, my children and my family the moment I beat Kostya Tszyu. But I don’t think I’ve changed much. Even today, the gym I run and the house I have are just 10 minutes from the council estate I grew up on. I haven’t moved beyond a 10-mile radius.”
“Even with all the frosty things I’ve achieved through boxing, I still go to the local venue and play darts on a Monday night and play football for the vets on a Sunday afternoon. My mates now are still the same mates I went to school with, no delayed newbies, always the same mates.”
This stubborn loyalty – to pubs, friends, Manchester City and the same senior streets – was what fans felt. He was a hero who could walk into any pub and not have to buy beer. Kids who have never seen him fight live still stop him to take photos because they’ve seen the clips and got a sense of realism.
Fighting your own shadow, helping others in their shadows
Hatton has made no secret of life after his boxing injury. Losses to Mayweather and Pacquiao left scars and depression set in. But he didn’t want to stay down. He received lend a hand. He then used his pain to lend a hand others.
“I didn’t want to tell my friends or family, I didn’t want to worry them, so I kept it a secret,” he told Barker. “I went to the gym or the pub and I was the life of the party, even more than usual, because I was trying to compensate for what was going on inside me.
“Nobody knew and it was very challenging. I thought I could deal with it on my own, but I couldn’t. The best thing I did was realize that I could beat him, I could do this or that, but I couldn’t solve it on my own and I had to talk to someone and that’s the best thing I did.”
“You feel like you can talk to a stranger better than your family or friends. You don’t go out with boys – and I have good friends – but you don’t feel like that. I had a fight with my mom and dad, I broke up with my wife, and I didn’t want to worry the rest of the family. So you keep it inside, you keep it inside, and it festeres.”
Once he got lend a hand, Hatton used his experience to lend a hand others. “Some of my boxers tell me they paid off their mortgages and thank me. That’s what I mean,” he said. Letters arrived from people who heard his story and found hope. This gave him a purpose: “I’m glad I helped others.”
A warrior who never left us
Hatton didn’t want statues or sainthood. He wanted to be the boy from down the street who made it, but he never looked down on anyone. That’s a rarity in boxing – or anywhere else. And maybe that’s why the news of his death touched us so deeply.
He endured brutal nights, public defeats, private battles, and still found the strength to tell a bullied kid to keep his head down in the days before we left. If that’s not greatness, then what is?
Take it effortless, Ricky. You were one of us and you will always be one of the Boys.
Watch the full interview:
Amy Kaplan has been a boxing fan since she was 10, which means she’s spent most of her life explaining to people that, yes, she actually prefers fight nights to dinner. Now he writes for Boxing News 24 and covers everything from world title fights to prospects eyeing a payday. He combines pointed analysis with sarcasm, calling out boxing politics and cutting through the noise of press releases to bring fans the stories that really matter.
Last update: 10/10/2025
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Boxing
Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap
Published
10 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
World Boxing News provides results and updates as Liam Davies faces Nathaniel Collins in the main event at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham.
Davies and Collins collide over 12 rounds for the EBU European featherweight title at the top of the Queensberry Promotions card.
Luke McCormack faces Kay Prospere for the vacant British super lightweight title, while Bradley Goldsmith takes on Amir Abubaker for the IBF International middleweight title.
WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.
Results
All times are local BST.
23:11
Gerome Warburton defeated Nathan Heaney for the second time running as the middleweight put an exclamation mark on his first victory.
Heaney walks away from the sport having been an entertainer through a long carer, without reaching the heights of a world title.
22:04
Liam Davies improved to 19-1 after Nathaniel Collins retired at the end of the seventh round due to a cut over his right eye. Collins had also been dropped in the opening round as Davies successfully defended the European featherweight title.
21:22
Bradley Goldsmith improved to 17-1 with a seventh-round stoppage of Amir Abubaker to retain his IBF International middleweight title. Abubaker went down in the fourth and three times in the seventh before the finish at 2:42.
20:10
Lewis Richardson improved to 3-0 with a shutout six-round points victory over Ivan Trofimovich, earning a 60-54 decision.
19:56
Luke McCormack moved to 6-0 and claimed the vacant British super lightweight title with a tenth-round knockout of Kay Prospere, who was counted out after a right uppercut at 1:28.
18:55
Michael Hussain moved to 5-0 with a four-round points victory over Nabil Ahmed, earning a 39-38 decision.
18:11
Nelson Birchall moved to 12-0 with a third-round stoppage of Lewis Morris, who went down before the finish came at 1:12. Lasha Guruli also remained unbeaten at 5-0 after edging Hughie Wilson 77-75 over eight rounds.
17:22
Early action saw John Tom Varey and Reese Lynch claim four-round victories to move to 3-0 and 5-0 respectively.
TV Coverage
DAZN provides full worldwide coverage.
Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
Boxing
Janibek Alimkhanuly Shifts Perspective on Hamzah Sheeraz: A New Dynamic in Boxing
Published
12 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
Janibek Alimkhanuly spent months trying to get Hamzah Sheeraz into the ring. Now that Sheeraz has vacated his WBO super middleweight title, Janibek is asking fans to stop saying the former champion ran from him. That is generous. It also leaves Janibek with less to say about a fight he wanted badly.
He’s not afraid of me. He didn’t run from me. He made his decision based on his own plans. He has his own goals! He’s my brother, and I ask everyone to stop saying he ran from me. He’s a great fighter, and I have nothing but respect for him! @sheeraz_hamzah 🫂 pic.twitter.com/uxZlegqSmH
— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) September 26, 2026
Janibek’s tone has changed since the purse bid. He was eager to fight, said money was not his priority, and publicly pushed Sheeraz to accept. Queensberry then bid $1,001,809 to stage the ordered defense, beating Top Rank’s $820,000 offer. Sheeraz’s 75 percent share would have been roughly $751,000. Days later, he gave up the belt.
That sequence deserves a closer look. Queensberry put a serious number on the fight, so the bid itself cannot be dismissed as proof that nobody valued it. But winning the right to promote a title defense means little to fans when the champion vacates before it happens.
Sheeraz has objected to Janibek receiving a mandatory shot after his failed drug test. He is entitled to explain that position. Fans are equally entitled to ask why the issue reached a purse bid before he surrendered the title. Janibek’s post supplies no answer.
Perhaps Janibek sees no benefit in branding Sheeraz a coward. Doing so would also make the opponent he chased sound less valuable. Calling Sheeraz a great fighter preserves the idea that this was an important contest, even after the belt and the fight slipped away.
The respect between them may be sincere. Janibek still gets no Sheeraz fight, and Sheeraz no longer has to defend his title against Janibek. A friendly photo does not change either result.
About the author
Boxing 24/7 Wire
Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.
Boxing
Virginia Confirms Decision to Erase Prichard Colón Loss from Records
Published
13 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
Virginia has given World Boxing News its final answer on whether Prichard Colón’s last professional defeat can still be challenged, bringing an end to WBN’s long fight to have the result annulled and removed from his record.
WBN has pursued the possibility of changing the controversial disqualification defeat to Terrel Williams, with those efforts continuing following Colón’s death at age 33.
Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation previously explained that a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the result.
WBN pressed Eric Beidel, Communications & Digital Media Manager for the Department of Professional & Occupational Regulation, on whether any avenue remained to challenge the decision.
“And on that final question … as mentioned before, a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the results,” Beidel graciously responded after providing WBN with transparent answers throughout the investigation.
“In addition, a complaint about a regulatory violation must be filed within three years of the alleged violation.”
The Colón-Williams fight took place on October 17, 2015, meaning that deadline expired years ago.
Virginia Closes Appeal Route
Virginia’s response also addressed whether the result could instead be challenged through an appeal.
“The Administrative Process Act (APA) does create appeal rights to case decisions, but because DPOR never received a complaint in this instance, there was no case or decision that could be appealed under the APA.”
The deadline for filing a complaint about a regulatory violation has expired, while the absence of an original complaint means there is no case decision available to appeal under the APA.
For WBN, Virginia’s response ends a long fight to have the defeat annulled and removed from Colón’s professional record.

WBN’s Fight for Prichard Colón
It is no secret that WBN and Prichard were close before the most tragic night of his career ended all contact and left us on the outside for the years leading up to his death.
That never stopped WBN from reporting on Prichard, campaigning for change and hoping lessons from what happened to him could help prevent another fighter and family from enduring the same tragedy.
Virginia’s final response may end WBN’s attempts to have the result changed, but it does not end our commitment to Prichard.
Prichard Colón will not be forgotten.
WBN will continue to keep his name alive whenever and wherever possible with the WBN Boxer Pageand push to ensure his fight for life and everything that happened in its aftermath are never allowed to simply disappear from boxing’s memory.
This investigation ends here, but Prichard’s story does not.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
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Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap
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