Ricky Hatton (right) strikes Marco Antonio Barrera in the exhibition bout at the AO Arena, Manchester, November 12, 2022
RICKY HATTON’S recent appearance on Simon Jordan’s popular Up Front podcast came as a riveting reminder of his history and legacy as not just an elite-level fighter, whose marauding all-action style made him a fan-favourite, but as a bona fide working-class hero when in his prime.
That prime saw him involved in some of his eras most exciting and pulsating battles inside the ring — against the likes of Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao — and then ultimately his well-publicised deep dive down into the depths of depression and despair.
Adding to the Shakesperean trajectory of this particular story was Ricky’s ill-fated attempt to make a comeback three years after his devastating KO loss to Pacquaio. But if his legion of fans were expecting a Hollywood ending when he faced Ukraine's Vyacheslav Senchenko in front of a full house at the Manchester Arena on that cold November night in 2012, they were fated to go home disappointed.
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