AS tributes for the late Ricky Hatton continue to pour in, former two-weight world champion David Haye has added his own message of respect and recognition for ‘The Hitman.’
Boxing was shaken to its foundations on Sunday when it was announced that Hatton, 46, had passed away at his home in Hyde, Manchester. The much-loved Mancunian was a relentless fighting machine in his prime, most memorably defeating the formidable Kostya Tszyu for light-welterweight supremacy in June 2005. By the end of that year, Haye had made a statement of his own, knocking out Alexander Gurov in one round to claim the European cruiserweight title.
‘The Hayemaker’ burst onto the world scene in November 2007 when he travelled to Paris and stopped Jean-Marc Mormeck to become the unified world champion. Just weeks later, Hatton and his army of fans descended on Las Vegas to take on Floyd Mayweather. Despite an admirable performance, Hatton fell short against the brash American.
Today, Haye posted a series of photos of himself with Hatton, along with a heartfelt tribute to one of Britain’s greatest fighters.
“Ricky was a brother in this sport,” Haye wrote on Instagram.
“When I saw him, train, fight, give it his all I saw a man who defined what being a champion truly means. Not just belts and wins, but grit, humility, kindness, and loyalty.
“He wasn’t perfect, but he was real, honest to the core. We shared many nights out together all over the world, living life to the fullest as only fighters of our era knew how. He was never going to live a quiet, boring life – that wasn’t ‘The Hitman.’”
Haye went on to describe Hatton’s warrior spirit, likening it to someone in the trenches.
“He was a warrior, the kind of man who would have been on the battlefield 1,000 years ago wielding an axe, and I’d have been proud to stand beside him fighting the enemy. I know right now he’s up there in heaven, a cold pint in hand, saving me a seat for when it’s my time. Rest well Ricky, your fight goes on through all of us.”
Fellow ex-pros Tony Bellew and Matthew Macklin praised Haye’s words, replying to his Instagram post with their own messages of approval.
