Ricky Hatton lived life with no filter and he was loved for it

Ricky Hatton lived life with no filter and he was loved for it

Ricky 'The Hitman' Hatton during training at the TKO Gym in east London in 2000. Photo: PA Wire

Manchester is mourning one of its favourite sporting sons after the tragic news that Ricky Hatton, the charismatic boxing champion of the early 2000s, has been found dead at his home. He was just 46 years old.

Hatton was a genuine icon of boxing, and a kind of folk hero in Hyde − the suburb of Manchester where he was brought up. Garrulous, down to earth, and ever approachable, he had a word for everyone and spent his later years running a spotless gym on the same high street where he had once bought chocolate bars as a child.