British boxing great Ricky Hatton has died at the age of 46.
Hatton was found at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, where a police cordon has been put in place.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed a body had been found at Hatton’s address and that the death is not being treated as suspicious.
A GMP statement read: “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.
“We are not currently confirming the identity of the dead man but are working with his family to provide a tribute for the media.”
Hatton won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight, and his all-action style made him one of the most popular, and well-supported, British fighters of all time.
He rose through amateur and domestic levels to pit his wits against the best boxers of his generation, including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao.
Hatton’s down-to-earth demeanour also endeared him to fans across the world, and he was open about the mental-health issues he endured upon his retirement from the ring.
He overcame a falling out with his family and a court case with his former trainer Billy Graham to become a successful trainer, coaching Zhanat Zhakiyanov to a world bantamweight title win in 2017.
Hatton announced in July that he would make a return to boxing in December in a professional bout against Eisa Al Dah in Dubai.
After a brief but impressive amateur career, Hatton began his journey in the professional ranks with a victory over Colin McAuley in Widnes in 1997.
After 21 straight wins he stepped up to beat Jon Thaxton for the British light-welterweight title at Wembley Conference Centre in 2000, and proceeded to make Manchester’s then MEN Arena his own with a series of sell-out defences of his WBU light-welterweight crown.
The zenith of his career came in 2005, when he produced a remarkable performance in Manchester to beat Tszyu to win the IBF light-welterweight title in Manchester, forcing the Australian great to retire on his stool. A few months later, he won the WBA belt against Carlos Maussa before being named Fighter of the Year by Ring magazine, the Boxing Writers Association of America, and ESPN.
A welterweight world title followed in 2006 after a unanimous-decision victory over Luis Collazo in Boston, Massachusetts.
The manner of his victory over Mexican great José Luis Castillo in Las Vegas in 2007 stamped his ticket to greatness, as well as a lucrative fight with Mayweather that same year. However, that was the point at which he started to decline.
Despite bringing more than 30,000 British fight fans to Vegas, he suffered his first defeat, a technical knockout in what was a masterclass by Mayweather, and despite two more victories, was brutally knocked out by Pacquiao in the second round of their clash in 2009.
Hatton returned briefly for an ill-advised loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko in Manchester after three years out of the ring in 2012. He also fought a non-scoring exhibition against Marco Antonio Barrera in 2022. He ended his 48-fight career with a record of 45 wins (32 by knockout), and just three losses.
Hatton openly struggled with his mental health and drug addiction in retirement, but became a prominent promoter and trainer. As well as his success with Zhakiyanov, he was also in Tyson Fury’s corner for his first clash with Deontay Wilder in 2018, and added Chole Watson to his stable.
Hatton is survived by his children Millie, Fearne and Campbell, and granddaughter Lyla. Campbell was also a professional boxer, but this summer announced his shock retirement.
Hatton was a huge Manchester City fan, with the club confirming that a minute’s appreciation would be held at the Etihad Stadium ahead of the Manchester derby.
Remembering Ricky 🩵 pic.twitter.com/y5Wh9Zzohb
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 14, 2025
A club statement read: “Manchester City are devastated to learn Ricky Hatton has passed away, aged 46.
“Ricky was one of City’s most loved and revered supporters, who will always be remembered for a glittering boxing career that saw him win world titles at welterweight and light-welterweight. Everyone at the club would like to send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.
“We can confirm there will be a minute’s appreciation ahead of today’s game against Manchester United.”
Organisers at the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool also confirmed they would pay tribute to Hatton midway through the final session on Sunday, with an announcement and the traditional “10 bells” salute.