Boxing champion Ricky Hatton dead at 46

Former world boxing champion Ricky Hatton has died at the age of 46.

Police said the 46-year-old was found dead this morning at his home in Hyde in Tameside, Greater Manchester.

His death is not being treated as suspicious.

"Officers were called by a member of the public to attend Bowlacre Road, Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45 am today where they found the body of a 46-year-old man. There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances," Greater Manchester police said.

Ricky Hatton was notable for his huge success and his down-to-earth charm.

Born in Stockport, Manchester, in October 1978, he was a proud Mancunian his whole life. He supported Manchester City football club, and was friends with the Gallagher brothers.

He grew up in a pub on a council estate, and Hatton told the Guardian in 2009 that "me and my brother, Matthew, used to help out in the pub for pocket money".

Hatton made his boxing debut at 11.

His parents made a small gym in the pub basement when he was 12, where he used to practice on a punching bag.

Until he turned professional, Hatton worked in the family carpet business. "I wasn't much good," he said of it.

He had a brief but successful amateur career in boxing, then the rest is history.

Hatton has three children, and was never married.

Hatton's all-action style made him one of the most popular fighters of that decade.

Hatton was known to fans around the world for his down-to-earth demeanour.

Hatton's stellar career included world titles in two weight classes - light-welterweight and welterweight.

Nicknamed "The Hitman", his all-action style made him one of the most popular fighters in the first decade of the 21st century.

He rose through amateur and domestic levels to pit his wits against the best boxers of his generation including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao.

He also achieved a staggering 43-0 record before his first loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr at the MGM Grand in 2007.

Nicknamed "The Hitman," Hatton was set to return to the ring in December.

Hatton was a life-long Manchester City supporter - the club has said it will hold a "minute's appreciation" for him at today's derby against Manchester United.

Tributes are flooding in for the world champion boxer, with Tyson Fury saying there "will only ever be one Ricky Hatton" and Amir Khan saying he will always have a "place in the ring of our memories".

Hatton had announced his return to boxing during the summer, with a fight with United Arab Emirates' Eisa Al Dah in a middleweight bout scheduled for 2 December.

Hatton, who won 45 of his 48 professional bouts across an esteemed 15-year career, had last fought professionally in 2012, suffering defeat by Ukraine's Vyacheslav Senchenko.

In his career, Hatton won world titles at both welterweight and light-welterweight.

He earned notable world title wins over Russia's Kostya Tszyu and Jose Luis Castillo among others, before defeats by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio.

In recent years, Hatton became vocal about his own struggles with mental health, and tried to help others too.

He became an ambassador for the mental health charity Campaign Against Living Miserably in 2023.

"If a boxer can come out and say they're struggling and crying every day, it's going to make a huge difference," he explained to the BBC in 2020.

"Having gone through it, I now see it as my job to help those suffering with mental health."

If you are struggling and need support, you can find help and resources at BBC Action Line.