British boxer Ricky Hatton's cause of death has been revealed by a coroner as an inquest into his death opened. The former boxing world champion was found dead at the age of 46 at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, on Sunday, 14 September. Ricky's body was discovered by his manager and friend, Paul Spea, and police said at the time there was not believed to be any suspicious circumstances.
During a hearing, which took place at South Manchester Coroners' Court in Stockport, it was revealed by senior coroner Alison Mutch that Ricky died by suicide. According to reports, a full inquest will be held on March 20 2026. Inquests are opened by coroners when there is reasonable cause to suspect that a death has occurred due to anything other than natural causes.
Ricky's cause of death came days after his funeral at Manchester Cathedral. Members of Ricky's family, including his parents, Ray and Carol Hatton, and his 24-year-old son, Campbell. Also in attendance was Claire Sweeney, who dated Ricky in 2024, as well as Wayne Rooney and Liam Gallagher. Uniting some of the biggest names in British boxing, Tyson Fury, Tony Bellew, Amir Khan and Frazer Clarke were also on hand to honour the former world champion. Prior to the service, fans had lined the streets of Manchester to watch the cortege pass several places that held meaning for Ricky, including the pub that his parents used to own, as well as his gym in Hyde. After the private memorial service, the 10-mile procession will moved from the cathedral to Etihad Stadium.
Following the funeral, Ricky's son Campbell opened up about the emotional day and his "whirlwind" few weeks on Good Morning Britain. "It's been a bit of a whirlwind, the last few weeks. Obviously, we've been leading up to the funeral, which was unbelievable to see the amount of love everyone had for my dad.
"There were thousands in the streets and there was a lot of comfort to take from that. It has been very up and down really but just as a family we're trying to take each day at a time really. He always said he was more proud of his fanbase than all the belts and his titles," he added. "Surprised is probably the wrong word, because it was obvious how much he was loved by the amount of people that followed him all over the world to watch him box. "To actually see everyone in the streets, it was a very long route that we went down, and there was never a point where the streets weren't full. To actually see it in terms of the amount of people, it was surreal really."
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