Ricky Hatton, former world champion and Manchester boxing icon, found dead at 46

Ricky Hatton, a former world champion who was one of Britain’s most popular boxers, was found dead at his home near Hyde, Greater Manchester, on Sunday. He was 46. Greater Manchester Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious.

Hatton, known as "The Hitman," rose from a working-class upbringing on the Hattersley estate to become a two-weight world champion and a national sports figure. He had been planning a return to the ring later this year and had shared training footage two days before his death, according to people close to him.

Born in 1978, Hatton began boxing at 11 after being bullied at primary school and stayed in the amateur ranks until he turned professional at 18. He won his first pro fight in 1997, fought at Madison Square Garden in his second bout and was named Britain’s Young Boxer of the Year in 1999. By the early 2000s he had claimed his first world title and later captured belts at both light-welterweight and welterweight.

Hatton compiled an early professional record that included a 43-fight unbeaten streak. His profile reached a global peak in May 2007 when he faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas. Thousands of British fans travelled to the event, and celebrities including David Beckham attended; Tom Jones performed the United Kingdom’s national anthem. Hatton was floored twice and suffered the first defeat of his career. After the loss, his mother, Carol, who had an enduring influence on him, reportedly told him: "You're 29-years-old. You're a millionaire. You've got a lovely son, a lovely family, a lovely girlfriend. You've not been told you've got a terminal disease – it's just a boxing match."

Hatton returned to domestic acclaim in 2008, beating Juan Lazcano in front of about 55,000 at the City of Manchester Stadium, and remained a figure who connected with fans through a working-class persona and frank, often self-deprecating talk. But his career also featured high-profile setbacks. In 2009 he was knocked out by Manny Pacquiao, a defeat that preceded well-documented struggles with alcohol, drug use and mental health. Video footage from that period showed extended drinking and drug use; Hatton later described the period as "rock bottom." He publicly sought psychiatric help and in later years spoke about his battles with depression.

Hatton's personal life, including long and short relationships, was regularly reported in the tabloid press. He had a son, Campbell, from an earlier relationship, and two daughters, Millie and Fearne, with his former partner Jennifer Dooley, who was with him through several of his career highs and lows. He also dated television personality Claire Sweeney after appearing on ITV's Dancing On Ice.

Even at the height of his fame, Hatton kept strong ties to Manchester. He was awarded an MBE in 2007. Supporters and fellow athletes paid tribute after news of his death. Former England forward Wayne Rooney called Hatton "a legend, a warrior and a great person." Promoter Frank Warren described him as "a British sporting icon, a man of the people," and fellow boxer Amir Khan said: "Sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind."

Hatton’s public image mixed affability and self-deprecating humor with vulnerability about his off-field life. He was known for a fondness for large breakfasts and pub culture, an image he often played up during his career. He also coached after retiring from active competition and had indicated plans for another comeback fight, with a date pencilled in for December.

Friends and fans left flowers, gloves and sports shirts outside his home, which was named The Heartbreak. The police cordon remained in place as investigators completed initial inquiries. Authorities have not announced a cause of death; the police statement said only that the death is not being treated as suspicious.

Hatton's career provides a timeline of dramatic highs and lows: early success and national adulation; world titles and major pay-per-view fights; public defeats that precipitated personal crises; attempts at comebacks and periods of relative stability. In recent years he spoke openly about the toll the sport and his subsequent problems took on his life, telling reporters this year, "I hope I did Manchester proud."

His family and close associates have been notified, police said. Further details about funeral arrangements or any planned public tributes had not been released on Sunday. Hatton remains a figure whose sporting achievements and later advocacy on mental health kept him in the public conversation long after he left the peak of the ring.