RIP, Champ
20:12, 10 Oct 2025Updated 20:35, 10 Oct 2025
Chris is a senior news reporter for the Manchester Evening News, having joined the company as a trainee in 2010. He focuses on the Stockport patch, however you will also find him covering live and breaking news and sports news from across the region
A mural of Ricky Hatton adorns the Harehill Tavern pub in his hometown of Hyde(Image: Getty)
“It was an amazing send-off for an amazing person. You come out here, and it’s like going to one of his fights back in the day.”
The words of Mancunian boxing legend Anthony Crolla after stepping out of Ricky Hatton’s funeral at Manchester Cathedral summed it up perfectly.
The way so many people across Manchester and Tameside turned out to say an emotional last goodbye to their was as befitting of the man as it was moving.
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There’s a reason he was known as ‘The People’s Champion’.
Entrance to the service itself was by invite only. ‘The streets are ours’, said one fan on Facebook beforehand. “Let’s show the world what Ricky meant to Manchester.” And boy, we did.
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Ricky wasn’t just boxing royalty, he was Mancunian royalty. This had the feeling of a state funeral.
He had the biggest fanbase of any British boxer down the ages. Tens of thousands travelled with him to Las Vegas for his mega fights against Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio. So no one would have truly expected any less.
The hearse carrying Ricky Hatton’s coffin outside the Etihad(Image: Getty Images)
But the fact that hundreds upon hundreds of people were already lining the streets of his home village of Gee Cross, not long after daybreak on a grey, drizzly Friday morning – holding a sea of sky blue flags – set the tone for the day.
The procession embarked on a more than 15 mile, almost two-hour journey, taking in so many spots pivotal i Ricky’s life and career.
Everywhere his hearse went, with the funeral cars and truck carrying his beloved Only Fools and Horses van following behind, there were huge crowds waiting.
A mural of Ricky on the side of the Harehill Tavern in Hattersley(Image: Getty Images)
Gathered at his old stomping ground, the Harehill Tavern, in Hattersley. Outside his gym and the town hall in Hyde. Outside Betta Bodies in Denton where he trained. They applauded and sang his name, just like they had on so many nights beforehand.
There was a galaxy of stars who attended the invite-only service, from Tyson Fury to Liam Gallagher and Wayne Rooney. That showed just how popular he was amongst his peers and in the wider world of boxing and showbiz.
But it was the crowds outside that showed just how many people that the ever-humble and down-to-earth Ricky inspired, and how dearly loved he was in these parts.
Fans line the streets outside the gym Ricky founded in Hyde(Image: PA)
Outside the Cathedral, Anthony Crolla’s observation couldn’t have been more apt. A brass band played Winter Wonderland, to which fans sang ‘There’s only one Ricky Hatton’.
His walk-on music, Manchester City anthem Blue Moon, started up as his sky blue was carried inside.
A fan wipes away a tear outside the Etihad as Ricky Hatton’s hearse stopped at the stadium(Image: Manchester Evening News)
At the Etihad Stadium, scores of fans turned out for his final trip to the home of his beloved Blues, where he famously fulfilled his dream and fought in front of a sell-out crowd in 2008.
That was just one of countless unforgettable nights Ricky gave his fans. Where, as one poetically put it this week, he ‘carried the city in his fists’.
His funeral was the perfect send-off(Image: Manchester Evening News)
It was only right that the Greater Manchester came together to ensure his final goodbye would never be forgotten.
The understandable pain and grief among family and friends was plain to see.
Hopefully they took some comfort from the outpouring of love and support for their Richard – and that he received such a fitting, perfect send-off.