Boxing catapulted Ricky Hatton to worldwide fame, but he was a born entertainer in and out of the ring.

As his fame grew as the Hitman, demand for Ricky the man on the Manchester social scene was even more intense.

His huge personality - and innate comic streak - made him an in-demand after-dinner speaker and masterful showman, his comedy routine was so funny it would be the envy of most professional comedians.

He was a man who simply had funny bones, perhaps that's what helped him roll with all the punches in his career, and the highs and lows in his personal life .

As the world mourns the loss of Ricky today at 46 , I fondly recall all the many times I saw Ricky do what he did best - and that was to make people smile.

At the height of his fame in the noughties, fresh from winnin

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