Who is Ricky Hatton? Former boxing world champion who opened up about his battle with depression
'The Hit Man' Hatton said that he contemplated suicide as his battle with booze and drugs spiralled out of control
RICKY Hatton gave a frank account of his battle with depression when he opened up about his mental health battles earlier this year.
The British boxing legend spoke candidly about how he contemplated suicide on several occasions. Here's how he described his illness, and what you need to know about The Hitman's career.
What has Hatton said about his depression?
Hatton, 39, has said that his problems with depression were triggered by his defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2007.
The popular Mancunian was undefeated in 43 previous pro fights, but his hopes of beating 'Pretty Boy' were ended by TKO in the tenth round at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Nevada.
Hatton previously told BT Sport: "I had suffered from depression for quite some time and a lot of things were going wrong.
"I got beat by Mayweather and then I was back up, I fought Lazcano then at City and I was back up.
"Then I fell out with my trainer, Billy Graham, he was my best mate so then I was down. Then I beat Paulie Malignaggi which was probably one of my best wins, then I fell out with my parents.
"My mind was going up and down and for a short while there I didn’t care whether I lived or died, I tried killing myself several times but I had a good girlfriend behind me, good people, a good team behind and when I look now, I got myself fit, I ended up making my comeback fight and now I actually train boxers and trying to bring the next champion we can be proud of."
He spoke about his battle with mental health again, adding: "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."
Why does his weight go up and down?
Hatton has previously said: "I’ve always ballooned up in weight, you saw me with the fat suit on, 'Ricky Fatton' I was nicknamed but I’ve always got very, very depressed and it started round about the Mayweather fight.
"But I’ve always liked to drink but you can’t drink, when you’ve got depression you feel all right for about an hour and then the more you do it, you just go worse and then the more and more you drink, the more depressed you get, the more you start worrying and you start looking towards other options such as drugs.
"I didn’t care who I was with, what I was doing, I didn’t care whether I lived or died and it is a very, very difficult thing."
How did he get into boxing?
Hatton grew up on the Hattersley council estate in Hyde near Manchester and found a local boxing club to train at a local club.
In a short amateur career, he won seven British titles and represented England at the 1996 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships.
Hatton based himself at Billy Graham's gym in Moss Side, where the likes of Carl Thompson and Michael Gomez also trained.
But he was also playing football for the academy of his beloved Manchester City.
Hatton once said: "I was at Manchester City at the School of Excellence up to being 14 years of age.
"But my boxing was taking off, I won my first Schoolboy Championship at 13 and then won two more at 14.
"So like most kids at that age, I was giving everything a bit of a try but I found out I was a little bit better at hitting people so I stuck to the boxing - which is a very addictive sport."
LATEST NEWS ON RICKY HATTON
When did he turn pro and what was his early career like?
In 1997, just before his 19th birthday, against Colin McAuley in Widnes - winning in a first-round TKO.
He fought at New York's Madison Square Garden in just his second pro fight, beating local favourite Robert Alvarez.
He clinched his first international title in May 1999, downing Dillon Carew to claim the the WBO inter-continental light-welterweight title.
Hatton won his next four fights inside four rounds before being crowned WBA inter-continental champion after a unification fight win against Giuseppe Lauri.
He went on to beat Jon Thaxton for the British title, and claimed the vacant WBU light-welterweight title against Canadian Tony Pep in March 2001, aged 20.
What were his biggest fights?
Hatton says his proudest moment came in June 2005 when he defeated Kostya Tszyu.
The Australian was regarded as one of the world's best pound-for-pound fighters, but Hatton came out on top when Tszyu failed to emerge for the 12th and final round at the end of an epic contest in front of his home fans at the MEN Arena in Manchester.
Hatton explained: "My best win was Kostya Tszyu and when you look at Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, they will probably go down as two of the best of all time.
"But my proudest achievement was my fan base."
Beating The Ring and IBF light-welterweight champion lead to a unification fight against Carlos Maussa in November of that year before he moved up a weight to beat American Luis Collazo at welterweight.
He moved back to light-welterweight to claim wins over Juan Urango and Jose Luis Castillo.
Defeat at welterweight to Mayweather followed, before wins over Mexico's Juan Lazcano and USA's Pauli Malignaggi at light welterweight followed.
Hatton, who had never previously lost at light welterweight, was then sent crashing to the canvas twice in the first round of a Las Vegas fight against Filipino legend Pacquiao.
When did he retire?
After the Pacquiao loss, Hatton retired aged 31.
He said at the time: "I don't think I will have a fight again. But you can never say never as I have not announced officially that I won't be boxing. At the moment I don't have any fire in the belly for a fight or to get myself to a gym."
He then made a one-fight comeback three years on in 2012, but was defeated by a ninth-round stoppage from Vyacheslav Senchenko - his third loss in his 48th and final pro fight.
Hatton called it a day once and for all, saying: "I needed one more fight to see if I had still got it – and I haven't. I found out tonight it isn't there."