Lancashire's Tyson Fury pays tribute to Ricky Hatton at packed funeral
Hundreds gathered in Manchester this morning to honor boxing legend Ricky Hatton, 46, whose funeral drew stars including Lancashire’s Tyson Fury.
The procession passed landmarks tied to Ricky’s life — from his Hyde gym to the AO Arena — before a service at Manchester Cathedral.
Thousands of fans lined the streets with flowers and signs for “The Hitman.”
Ricky’s family kept the ceremony private but welcomed public tributes along the route.
Ricky, a popular, larger-than-life character who unified the light-welterweight division and also won a world welterweight title, was found dead aged 46 at his home in Hyde on September 14 .
Posting a tribute on Instagram, the day the news was announced, Tyson Fury said: “Rip to the legend @rickyhatton may he rip 🙏There will only ever be 1 Ricky hatton🎶. can't believe this so young.❤️💙”
The two boxers were believed to be good friends. In 2020, Ricky Hatton revealed how Tyson Fury called him just to check in.
He told IFL TV: "I put a thing on my Instagram, 'Not having my best day, but we've gotta get on with it'.
"Do you know who phoned me? Tyson Fury... within ten minutes. He said, 'Hiya Rick, what's up with you? You alright?'
"That's the man, Tyson, just to make sure I was alright."
The funeral procession started at 9.45am at the Cheshire Cheese pub - Ricky's local - and was led by the famous Reliant Robin van from Only Fools and Horses.
The father of one was a huge fan of the show and once bought one of the original three-wheelers for £4,000.
The cortege included stops at Hatton's boxing gym and the AO Arena, where he enjoyed some of his finest moments, the highlight indisputably being a win over the celebrated Kostya Tszyu on a raucous night 20 years ago to capture his first world title.
In attendance was Oasis frontman Gallagher, a long-time friend of Hatton who accompanied him on his ring walk once against Paulie Malignaggi in 2008.
As well as Tyson Fury, former boxers Tony Bellew and Frank Bruno , as well as former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff and former Manchester United star Rooney, attended the funeral.
Also among the mourners was Hatton's former trainer Billy Graham , from whom he was virtually inseparable on his journey from the amateur ranks to the top of the boxing world.
Following the service, the commemorative march will head to the Etihad Stadium , the home of Hatton's beloved Manchester City.