Boxing: Former world champion tried to kill himself several times

Former boxing world champion Ricky Hatton. Photo / Getty Images

Former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton has revealed he tried to kill himself several times during his battle with depression.

Hatton admitted there was a huge gap in his life after retiring from a boxing career that saw him take on the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao in front of his army of supporters in Las Vegas.

"I tried to kill myself several times," Hatton said in an interview aired on BBC Radio 4.

"I used to go to the pub, come back, take the knife out and sit there in the dark crying hysterically.

"There were times when I hadn't had a drink for days and I'd still come home and if something went through my mind I'd start pondering something. It was the same outcome whether I was having a drink or wasn't having a drink.

"But in the end I thought I'll end up drinking myself to death because I was so miserable.

"I was coming off the rails with my drinking and that led to drugs. It was like a runaway train."

In October, ex-world champion Tyson Fury opened up about his battle with depression while Frank Bruno is among the former boxers to have suffered from the illness.

"I think more should be done for boxers," said Hatton.

"Footballers have an agent that looks out for them and a football club that gets behind them, the FA and the players' football association (PFA) can also be there.

"Whereas boxers it's like once your time has gone it's 'on your way' and move on to the next champion coming through.

"It seems to be happening more with boxers. It's an individual sport so you get in the ring on your own and then when you retire you tend to spend the rest of your life on your own."

Hatton said he had contacted Fury without reply, and hoped he was speaking to the right people to help resolve his issues.

"As boxers we don't do that. We think, 'I'm Ricky Hatton or I'm Tyson Fury, I can take on the world'. You can take on the world in the ring but this problem called depression, you can't take it on.

"We're out of our comfort zones with depression. I certainly was and whenever I have bad days now I speak to someone to get it off my chest. "I have no shame telling that and that's why I'm here today."

- AAP