Ricky Hatton opens up on his suicidal thoughts - "The defeat from Floyd Mayweather"
Ricky Hatton recently spoke about his darkest days in an interview with Ariel Helwani.
Hatton has been very open about his struggles with depression post-retirement. During the interaction, Helwani asked Hatton where he was at his lowest, to which the Englishman said:
"Didn't care whether I lived or died, you know, there was a few things. I mean, the defeat from Floyd Mayweather and, granted, it was from Floyd Mayweather. People would say, 'Listen, there's no shame in that,' and there wasn't, but in my mind I was devastated... it hit me really hard."
Hatton and Mayweather fought in 2007, with the latter earning a stoppage win in the 10th round. It was the Manchester fighter's first career loss.
After two more wins, Hatton fought Manny Pacquiao, who also beat him. Hatton told Helwani that the loss to Pacquiao forced his retirement.
"He was a superstar very few people liked"
#OnThisDay: Floyd Mayweather beat Ricky Hatton: buff.ly/2BinCLs #boxing https://t.co/VMrn0cI6Jv
'Hitman' Hatton also identified personal problems that contributed to his struggles, including a falling out with his trainer and his parents. He has said that training for the upcoming exhibition bout with Marco Antonio Barrera has been great for his well-being.
Check out the interview with Ricky Hatton and Ariel Helwani here:
Ricky Hatton vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The stadium sat 90,000 people and between 30,000 and 40,000 fans came from the United Kingdom to watch the fight.
10 years ago today over 30,000 British fight fans descended on Las Vegas for Hatton vs Mayweather.
It may not have ended the way they'd hoped but there's definitely still ONLY ONE RICKY HATTON. https://t.co/0xeh0JGguQ
Hatton opened the fight aggressively but was gradually worn down throughout the course of the bout by Mayweather. In the end, the fight was fairly one-sided. Mayweather used Hatton's aggression against him and landed effective counter-punches. His check-hook famously sent the Manchester boxer careening headfirst into the corner.
Mayweather dropped Hatton for a second time in the 10th round. As the referee began to wave off the fight, Hatton's corner threw in the towel. After the bout, Mayweather announced his retirement, but returned to the ring in September 2009 to fight Juan Manuel Márquez. He then fought another nine bouts before retiring permanently with a record of 50-0.
Hatton, meanwhile, moved down to light welterweight following the bout, where he beat Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Lacanzo.