Ricky Hatton’s former trainer, Billy Graham, left a heartbreaking message outside the boxer’s home following his death on Sunday.
Hatton was found dead at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police have confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the 46-year-old’s death.
Nicknamed ‘The Hitman’, Hatton won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight and was adored by British boxing fans.
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Graham, known as ‘The Preacher’, was by Hatton’s side at his head trainer from The Hitman’s professional debut in 1997 right the way through to 2008 covering 45 fights, 22 of which were world title contests.
The pair split less than a year after Hatton’s defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas in December 2007 and went to court after Graham claimed £1.4 million in unpaid wages.
After a bitter dispute, Hatton and Graham reconciled in 2015 and The Hitman was reduced to tears when he saw his former coach at a 10-year anniversary party to celebrate the victory over Kostya Tszyu.
Tributes were left outside Hatton’s home on Sunday and Graham was among those who left flowers for the British boxing icon.
A note on the flowers left by Graham read: ‘Sorry I wasn’t there for you. Love Billy (The Preacher) x.’
Speaking in 2015, Hatton said of his reunion with Graham: ‘The biggest thrill for me at my party was Billy Graham being there.
‘I couldn’t stop crying when I saw him and I’m going to meet him when I come back from my holiday so we can have a proper catch-up.
‘We invited him to the party but he never replied, and I thought maybe there’s just too much water under the bridge between us. Celebrating that night without Billy being there would have been eating away at me as it wouldn’t have been right to not have my trainer and best mate there.’
Greater Manchester Police said on Sunday that it did not believe there were any suspicious circumstances surrounding Hatton’s death.
‘Officers were called by a member of the public to attend an address in Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45am today where they found the body of a 46-year-old man,’ a statement from Greater Manchester Police read.
‘There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.’
Hatton, who initially retired in 2009 before one comeback fight in 2012, had been in training for a return to the ring later this year.
The Hitman was due to fight United Arab Emirates’ Eisa Al Dah in a middleweight contest in Dubai on December 2.
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