🥊Ricky Hatton Interview

Ricky Hatton MBE

Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton is a name synonymous with British boxing excellence. From his spirited beginnings in Manchester to the dazzling heights of global recognition, Hatton carved out a legacy with his ferocious body punching and unyielding warrior spirit and a meteoric rise through the ranks of professional boxing,  Join us as we unpack the storied career of one of the sport's most charismatic figures and have a little chat about upcoming events.

🧒 Early Life and Boxing Beginnings 🥊:

Born on October 6, 1978, in Stockport, Greater Manchester, Ricky Hatton grew up with boxing in his veins. Inspired by his family's involvement in the sport, Hatton started boxing at a young age. He quickly distinguished himself as a highly talented amateur before turning professional at the age of 18.

💥 Championships and Career Defining Moments 💫:

Hatton's gritty, relentless fighting style endeared him to fans, and his skillful domination inside the ring led him to numerous titles. His 2005 victory over Kostya Tszyu for the IBF and The Ring Light Welterweight titles was a defining moment, positioning Hatton as a top fighter in his class. He continued to shine, unifying the light-welterweight division and stepping up to welterweight to further his championship tally.

🔄 Trials and Retirement 🥊➡️👋:

Despite his successful career, Hatton faced challenges with two significant losses to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, which greatly impacted his mental and physical health. Following a hiatus and a brief comeback in 2012, Hatton announced his retirement, closing the chapter on a remarkable career in the ring, but opening a new one as he transitioned to training and promoting future talent.

🏅 Legacy and Life After Boxing 🌟:

Post-retirement, Hatton's influence within the boxing world remains strong; his fan-friendly style and the resilience he displayed continue to inspire boxers and fans alike. His dedication to the sport is evident in his efforts to nurture new boxing talent, ensuring that his knowledge and passion for boxing live on.

Interview with Ricky Hatton January 2024

OLBG spoke exclusively to Ricky Httin about his upcoming appearance on Dancing on Ice and about a few other bits around boxing of course

How is preparation Dancing on Ice going ahead of Sunday?

RH: It couldn’t be going any better if I’m being honest, I’ve surprised myself. Needless to say, I’ve never done ice skating before in my life so the first day I couldn’t put one foot in front of the other, I couldn’t even walk or do a step. So, from where I am now, I’m definitely not one of the favourites or an ice skater, but from the first day to the present day I’m absolutely delighted. I’ve had a massive satisfaction from doing it. 

The first day on the ice, I told my manager, ‘this isn’t for me look at everyone else and look at me’ but I stuck at it and I think people will be very surprised but I’m not going to win it.

It'll certainly be entertaining there’s no doubt about that. But from where I’ve come from, I didn’t think I would be at this stage. I was looking around at the other contestants who have done a little bit here or there, but I’ve not done anything, and I get a huge buzz when I go to training or I’m driving home or going back to the hotel. 

It’s a nice feeling because talk about being out of my comfort zone, when you think about ice skating you don’t think of Ricky Hatton. I’m really enjoying it, I’ve met some lovely people and Dancing on Ice is one of the best things I’ve ever done

I: Is there any similarities to boxing in terms of nerves or adrenaline?

RH: There’s a lot of similarities, maybe even worse than boxing. As nervous as I was at boxing, I knew I could fight but being nervous for ice skating is a different nervousness because I can’t skate. I can skate, I’ve come on so much but sometimes you go and do your sessions and it’ll be great and other sessions you’re on you’re a***. 

On the night, Sunday, hopefully it’ll be one of those days I smash it and don’t end up on my a***. If anyone can hold their nerves together, bearing in mind with what I was doing with my boxing, I can be the one to do it but I am out of my comfort zone and it will be nerve-wracking.

I: Has it been frustrating at times on the rink?

When I do make a mistake it does wind me up but it’s to be expected. Sometimes you can clip the back of your skate, or clip your toe or not get your feet and balance correctly so it is frustrating but it’s like a bad first round in boxing, you have to keep your focus and if you don’t then it will get worse and worse.

It's very similar to boxing. If you have a bad round and let it stress you, you can have a bad second and third round and it’s the same with the dancing. If you make a mistake you have to forget it and get your head down.

I: AJ v Francis Ngannou – what’s your thoughts?

RH: It’s a sensible fight for Anthony Joshua to make because of how well Francis Ngannou did against Tyson Fury. There’s a big question mark really. Was Francis Ngannou better than what we thought he was, or did Tyson take him too lightly? Either way, AJ was in good form against Otto Wallin showing good boxing ability, and his confidence will be back up now.

The fact that Tyson struggled, if AJ goes in and puts on an impressive performance then that’s a massive thing in their favour. I still think Tyson is the best heavyweight out there, he took Ngannou lightly, but I can see where Eddie Hearn is going with AJ in order to make the match because Tyson couldn’t of struggled anymore. If Joshua goes out there and impresses, it can only work in his favour. 

I: How do you Joshua would react to Ngannou if a power shot lands?RH: AJ is a very good boxer and is known for his explosiveness and his power, but you don’t become an Olympic gold medallist and a two-time heavyweight champion of the world without the ability that Joshua has.

But on the downside, he can be hurt, knocked down and stopped and when you think of the size and punching power Ngannou has got, there’s every chance he could knock AJ out, but the bigger picture is, Joshua is a very rounded, accomplished boxer. He’s very skilful and heavy-handed and it’s the right time for him because his confidence is sky high from the past couple of performances.

If he goes out and there impresses where Tyson didn’t, it’ll work more in his favour when they sit down on the negotiation table and try and make the Tyson Fury fight.

I: Who would be favourite for the Fury v Joshua fight?

RH: I wouldn’t like to say. AJ has found good form in his last couple of fights with an impressive knockout two fights ago and his last performance was very solid. Tyson struggled against Ngannou, so the big question is, and I’m saying this as a friend of Tyson and a boxing fan, did Tyson take Francis too lightly or has the Wilder fights took its toll on Tyson?

The three fights Tyson and Wilder had most certainly taken its toll on Wilder. He looked nowhere near the same person against Joseph Parker, he looked a shot fighter whereas Tyson looked the same against Ngannou. But it’s whether he took Francis too lightly or whether the fights have taken its toll on Tyson, and we won’t know until we see him out next.

I: How big would Fury v Joshua be?

RH: You don’t get a bigger fight. It’s one of the biggest fights in British boxing history. It’s a great clash of styles. Tyson’s always in entertaining fights, so is AJ, and it was only a couple of fights ago we thought his best days were behind him but in his last couple of fights he has looked really impressive.

But Tyson on the other hand has been the best heavyweight for a good number of years and I still have him as number one, but we just need to know what Tyson has got left. Don’t forget it’s not just the three Wilder fights, it’s the lifestyle he’s had as well where he’s had to lose 10 stone in the past and what it does to the body and then having them three wars with Deontay Wilder. It might be too many miles on the clock for Tyson or maybe he took him lightly because he didn’t look in the best shape. He’s not built like Anthony Johsua, but you can see that he has definitely been in better shape than last time out. 

But I hope we can get it on as it would be a tragedy for British boxing if the biggest fight in British history wasn’t made because they couldn’t make a deal. That’d be a crying shame for our sport. I edge towards Tyson but I’m not as confident as what I was.

I: Would you be annoyed if you’re Tyson and Ben Davison is in the opposite corner?

RH: I don’t think so. It was Tyson’s decision to part company with Ben Davison and he must have had his reasons for doing it and you can’t blame Ben. I don’t it’ll impact Tyson because he is so strong minded and has confidence in his ability. He picked a new team for a reason and is happy with them, so I think it’ll put more fire in the belly and be more determined seeing Ben in the corner with AJ because that’s the Tyson I know.

It was a good move for AJ. I’ve seen Ben Davison in action when Tyson was training in my gym in Manchester. I worked in the corner for the first Wilder fight and a few other fights and he’s a very capable, good trainer and won’t stand no messing about. It adds more fire to the story. Tyson’s former trainer and just to add to the equation, AJ is coming back to form, is Tyson Fury finished and now Ben Davison is in the corner. You can’t add anymore spice to it and hopefully they get it signed and done. 

I: What do you make of Pacquiao wanting an exhibition rematch with Floyd? 

RH: At the end of the day, people will get their chance to see their heroes. I was very proud when I did the fight against Marco Antonio Barrera, a hero of mine, and I’d like to think I’m a lot of people’s heroes.

The one thing as boxing fans is seeing our heroes come back and get hurt by giving it one more go and getting knocked out and destroyed. But I’m all for the exhibitions because you can see your heroes one last time to showcase their skills and not get hurt. There’s a lot of things going on in boxing these days with YouTubers fighting UFC, and UFC fighting boxers, but as long as people know that the exhibitions are glorified spars and showcase their skills one last time, you don’t have to worry about seeing your hero getting knocked out and hurt. 

I: Would you fight Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition this year? 

RH: Yes, I would always look at it absolutely. Since I’ve done my exhibition against Barrera I haven’t looked back, mentally and physically. I’ve kept my weight off, I’m in a positive place now. My exhibition led to the Sky documentary and that led to Dancing on Ice and I’m still training my professional fighters and doing my own training so I’m in good shape. What it did for me mentally, and what it did for other people who sent me messages and letters saying to see how they saw me get in shape at 44 years old after everything I’ve been through with my mental health and weight problems. To come back, bounce back and maintain what I’m still doing, they said it was inspiring. It didn’t just help me, it inspired others. People looked at me being suicidal and massively overweight and struggling ‘but look at him now’. That’s what it’s all about, doing positive things not just for myself but to inspire other people in doing the same.

I: What football player would you compare yourself to in the ring? 

RH: Vinnie Jones or Roy Keane. I was very aggressive as a boxer, always attacking, throwing body punches and on the front foot. That was the same when I played football. I started playing football when I was 16 and had already been sent off three times.

I was always very fit because of my boxing at football, always a good tackler as you could imagine, a good passer of the ball so I was probably a Vinnie Jones or a Roy Keane.

 I: Are you a fan of Roy Keane considering you’re a Man City fan? 

RH: I am to be honest, what you see if what you get. It’s funny watching him on the TV these days in the studio. For so many years, when the football used to come on, I would think you’re doing more talking than showing the football, it got a little too much for me. But now it’s humorous. You see Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jamie Redknapp, Roy Keane, and Micah Richards now.

They’re having a bit of banter now when they’re talking about football, and they all have different personalities and I enjoy listening to the talks now before the matches. It used to send you to sleep. 

There’s a lot of sense being spoke now with humour and banter, and Roy Keane, even though he is Mr Serious, he has a great personality. Until recently, I didn’t think Roy Keane had a personality but we’re seeing another side to him now. 

I’ve watched him in the Overlap and that’s really fun. When you think Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher with the Manchester-Liverpool rivalry, they were enemies first and then you have the Man Utd-Man City connection with Micah Richards and Roy Keane.

I: Would you go on the Overlap?

RH: Yes, if they want me on, I would go on. It would be right up my street because it’s a good laugh and I’m a fan of it.