MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and Oasis singer Liam Gallagher were among the thousands of mourners who bid farewell to Ricky Hatton as one of Manchester’s most beloved sporting figures was laid to rest.
The former world welterweight champion, nicknamed “the Hitman”, was found dead in his home on September 14. He was 46.
Thousands of people lined the streets, many waving Manchester City flags and chanting “There’s only one Ricky Hatton!” as the funeral cortege set off from The Cheshire Cheese pub, Hatton’s local, for the two-hour journey to Manchester Cathedral.
Hatton’s body was in a sky blue casket with “Blue Moon” etched on the side, a nod to both his walk-out song and his love for Premier League club City, of whom he was a lifelong fan. Hatton boxed in blue shorts, matching the soccer side’s colours.
“It’s a tough time for us all, losing a legend in the sport of boxing, it’s just remembering him and being here, showing our respects,” Olympic boxing silver medallist Amir Khan, who flew in from Dubai for the funeral, told the BBC at Manchester Cathedral.
“Massive legacy, he was a fighter that we all looked up to.”
Hatton won the WBA, IBO and IBF light-welterweight titles and the WBA welterweight world championship during his 15-year professional career before retiring in 2012.
He had been due to make a comeback for an event in Dubai this year.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing in Manchester;Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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