Ricky Hatton was found dead at his home in Greater Manchester on Sunday, and the late boxer’s former manager Frank Warren has spoken out over the fighter’s previous comments about money
Boxing promoter Frank Warren confessed he was “p***ed off” with Ricky Hatton over the boxer’s remarks about finances. This led to a significant rift between late great Hatton and his father-turned-manager, Ray.
The former world champion, who was found dead at his home in Greater Manchester on Sunday, had been scheduled to make a comeback in Dubai this December. ‘The Hitman’, who held an impressive 45-3 career record, had previously spoken about not having enough money to buy a house, which became a point of contention in Warren’s dealings.
“You negotiate, and you only hope that the message you are giving them goes back in the way you say it to the boxer,” said Warren on the Parenting Hell podcast in July. “And, a big falling out I had years ago was not with Ricky, but it was with Ricky. We never had an argument, and it was all over money, and I for the life of me couldn’t understand what that was all about.
“To cut a long story short, years later, he was complaining he never had enough money to buy a house and I got quite p***ed off at it, so I just said, ‘Right, this is how much I paid him.’ And I just put it out there.
“I don’t know what happened between him and his manager, who was his dad at the time, and then there was a court case not involving me, involving his former trainer, and in court, a couple of purses came out, which he was told far less than what they were paid. And they had a massive fallout.”
In 2019, Hatton opened up to the Manchester Evening News (via Wales Online) about the rift that emerged between him and his parents: “Ultimately, when I fell out with my parents, I hit rock bottom.
“I didn’t care whether I lived or died, to be honest with you. A few of my school friends are the same age as me, their parents were having heart attacks, and I was going to their funerals. And I thought to myself, ‘I’m 40 now, I’m at an age where our parents might not be here much longer.’
“‘So if their parents are getting ill and passing away and all that, it’s not going to be long before mine go.’ I just made the effort to think, ‘Listen, you know, let bygones be bygones, leave things in the past. That’s it.’
Warren went on to comment regarding how long it took Hatton to come to terms with the situation: “I mean, if you can’t trust your dad, who can you trust?” The Queensberry Promotions boss described it as “a pretty awful thing” for the boxer to deal with as it “gave him a lot of problems.”
“He started boozing and doing other things he shouldn’t be doing,” Warren continued. “And it was sad. It took him a long time to come to terms with it, if indeed he has come to terms with it. He’s a great fella, Ricky.”
He also highlighted Hatton’s 2005 triumph against Kostya Tszyu as the pinnacle of his career. And the fighter himself had previously spoken with similar enthusiasm about the bout.
“Once you retire, it’s hard to replace that feeling,” said Hatton after calling time on his ring career. “It’s probably the reason why I struggled with retirement. It was a dream. People tell me it was their best night in Manchester. It doesn’t matter what money you have, that is worth more. It’s worth everything.”
The triumph against Tszyu marked a 39th consecutive win for Hatton and proved to be his opponent’s penultimate defeat. That victory secured the IBF and The Ring light-welterweight crowns for the Brit, titles he successfully defended before moving up to welterweight to challenge Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas.
Hatton’s last professional bout came against Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012. This came three years after a knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao prompted his initial retirement from boxing.
He had been scheduled to return to the ring against Eisa Al Dah before his tragic passing. Hatton’s family released a heartfelt statement via the Greater Manchester Police, asking for privacy during this difficult time.
“As a family, our loss is immeasurable, and words cannot truly capture the pain we feel,” read the message. “Yet in the midst of our grief, we have been deeply moved by the overwhelming outpouring of love and support.
“It has been a source of great comfort to see just how many lives Richard touched, and how widely he was admired and respected. At this time, we kindly ask for privacy as we come to terms with life without him.
“In the days and weeks ahead, we will take strength from one another and from the knowledge that Richard’s legacy – both in boxing and as a man – will continue to live on. Richard’s memory will forever remain in our hearts, in the hearts of his fans, and in the sport he loved so dearly.”
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