Ricky Hatton: The heart and soul behind a boxing wonderland - P18
- Shidonna Raven
- 9 hours ago
- 1 min read
By Tris Dixon
This Article has been curated by UDBN
September 25, 2025
Source: Boxing Scene
“Once that depression gets hold of you, it doesn’t matter how tough you are, how many fights you’ve had or what you’ve got in the world; you’re struggling.”
The man who could put anyone at ease felt on edge. His fans still loved him but he no longer loved himself.
The newspaper sting really bothered him. He’d spent years cultivating his image.
“His world fell apart,” his manager and friend Paul Speak told me.
“People said I was doing myself a disservice but they don’t have to live with this little fella who sits on your shoulder every day saying, ‘You fucked that up, you knobhead.’ ‘You led us to believe you were good with your fans and good with your family… You’re a fucking fraud,’” Ricky told me in the aftermath. “And that’s what I live with every day.”
He wanted his community, his sport and his city to be proud of him.
They were, but he didn’t know or feel it.
In his own words, he was “a very, very poorly person.”
“My head was not right and I had it for a few years,” he said. “It was a really difficult time for me.”
We Got that FAN-Appeal | Undisputed Boxing News
Marcus Doggett, Chief Editor
Comments