The inquest into boxing legend Ricky Hatton has determined his cause of death – after he sadly passed away in his home last September while battling with his mental health
The mum of boxing icon Ricky Hatton has told how her beloved son “almost broke my ribs” in a tragic final hug.
In a statement read on behalf of his mum Carol at his inquest today, she told how she had last seen her son just two days before he died. She said the star had talked about returning to the ring and selling his house, but noted that his “eyes were sad”.
She recalled how the star was planning to visit his parents when he returned from Dubai, as he wanted to discuss his finances with his dad. The boxing star died aged 46, on September 14 last year, just three months before he was set to make a return to the ring.
READ MORE: Ricky Hatton inquest UPDATES: Boxing legend’s cause of death revealed
At the inquest, officials reported there was “evidence of prior cocaine use” but the doctor said there was no evidence cocaine was consumed in the hours before Ricky’s death and also heard there was evidence of “cannabinoids” in Hatton’s system.
His body was found in the morning by his long-standing manager and friend, Paul Speak, who walked in to find that the TV was on and a open bottle of wine. The post mortem found there was evidence of alcohol intoxication when he died, with the star equivalent to being “well over twice the drink drive limit”.
Hatton was candid about his mental health struggles, having experienced suicidal thoughts following a defeat to Manny Pacquiao in 2009.
But his problems began 16 months earlier, when he suffered his first professional defeat against Floyd Mayweather in 2007. He admitted the loss was “very hard for me to swallow”, though things looked up when he returned to the ring five months later and beat Juan Lazcano in his home city of Manchester.
However, Hatton parted ways with his long-time trainer and close friend, Billy Graham, before being knocked out by Pacquiao in the second round of their fight. “Shortly after that, I fell out with my mum and dad,” he told Man Magazine.
“You can see how my mind was going up and down and up and down. And then I was just sat in my living room, thinking to myself, ‘You’ve got no boxing no more, you can’t share what you’ve done with your mum and dad, you can’t share it with your trainer, you haven’t got a wife anymore…’ I thought, ‘What do I need to be here for?'”.
He added: “I didn’t want to be here, I really didn’t. Back in the day, when I was in a really, really bad place, I just used to sit in the house and not leave the house. I used to just dwell on things. I think the more time you give yourself to just sit there and ponder, the worse it gets. You go under.”
At that point, his glittering career appeared to be over – that combined with other factors completely shattered his mental wellbeing. The Manchester fighter also spoke to the Mirror about this period and revealed: “I had a knife at my wrist every night.” Hatton revealed he believed there was a “stigma” preventing many from speaking out about their struggles, and he didn’t want to “burden” those closest to him.
Following the birth of his daughter, Millie, he sought professional help from a psychiatrist, disclosing that he dropped to his knees and pleaded, “‘You need to tell me what I’m going to do. I can’t do it on my own. I need help.”
Hatton’s relatives have emphasised that the boxer seemed to be “in a good place” during the weeks before his death. A statement issued on September 17 said: “To all our knowledge, despite his well-documented struggles, Richard was in a good place.
“He was excited for the future; his bag was packed ready to go to Dubai to promote a comeback fight and he was planning a celebration in Dubai of which his beloved girls Millie and Fearne were to be the centre of.”
His ex partner Jennifer Dooley, who he shared his two daughters with, told the inquest he was making “positive plans for the girls” and looking forward to going to Dubai. The girls were excited to see him box, she said.
The family described how Hatton had shared dinner with his daughters on the Friday beforehand and had maintained regular contact with relatives and his team.
The former world champion, affectionately nicknamed “The Hitman,” was discovered dead at his home on September 14, triggering an outpouring of grief from supporters, family members, and fellow boxers. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have consistently stated that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his premature death.
In their official statement, issued soon after the incident, GMP said: “Officers were called by a member of the public to attend Bowlacre Road, Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45am today where they found the body of a 46-year-old man. There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.”
A statement read on behalf of Ricky’s mum Carol said she last saw her son two days before he died. They talked about him returning to the ring and him selling his house. She said as they spoke about this his “eyes were sad”. She said “the last hug he gave me almost broke my ribs”.
He was planning to visit them when he returned from Dubai. He wasn’t happy about his finances and wanted to discuss them with his dad.
While his son Cambell told the court today his father was “very happy, always very laid back, except when it came to sport. He lived his life in and out of the ring at a hundred per cent and as he always said he never regretted it.” He added that his father was “fearless” and was “always generous with people around him” but had issues with his mental health.
“We felt he had been in the best place he had been in for years,” Campbell said.
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