Richard John Hatton was born on October 6, 1978, in Stockport, England. He is better known as Ricky the Hitman Hatton.
He is a two-time IBF and IBO light welterweight champion, having relinquished the IBF belt, only to move down a weight class and beat Juan Urango. He was the WBA Welterweight Champion, but relinquished this title on August 31, 2006. Hatton is also the former WBU, WBA Light Welterweight Champion and WBC, WBA, WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight Champion, and former Ring magazine Junior Welterweight Champion.
Hatton's entrance music to the ring was the club son of his beloved Manchester City, Blue Moon.
Hatton's career took off when after 40 unbeaten fights he was matched against Kostya Tszyu, then widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world. His victory over the Russian-Australian boxer announced Hatton on the world stage.
That very same year Hatton beat Carlos Maussa to win the WBA junior welterweight title, earning him the prestigious Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year award. Hatton was now in the heady company of former winners like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Mike Tyson.
Hatton moved up a division to welterweight to fight and defeat Luis Collazo, but went down again to fight the Mexican Jose Luis Castillo. The fight was held on 23 June 2007, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the fourth round, Hatton landed a devastating left hook to the liver, which put Castillo to the canvas. Ricky later claimed that four of Castillo's ribs were broken with this one punch. Unable to stand up, Castillo was counted out for the first time in his career.
Hatton then faced Floyd Mayweather Junior in what was considered to be the biggest welterweight fight since the 1999 clash between Oscar De La Hoya and Puerto Rican legend Felix 'Tito' Trinidad. Despite rocking Mayweather in the first round, Hatton went down to the first defeat of his career. Mayweather commented post-match that "Ricky Hatton is one tough fighter. He is still a champion in my eyes and I'd love to see him fight again. "Ricky Hatton is probably one of toughest competitors I've faced. I hit him with some big ones but he kept coming and I can see why they call him the 'Hitman'.
In May 2009, Hatton faced Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Las Vegas. Pacquiao defeated Hatton in the second round by a KO victory, after knocking Hatton down twice in the first round. He has not fought again, announcing his retirement on July 7, 2011.
Ricky lives with his girlfriend Jennifer Dooley in his house, the "Heartbreak Hotel" named after his favourite artist Elvis Presley, in Hyde.
