On this present day in 2011, former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton introduced his retirement from boxing on the age of 32.
Hatton received world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight and was one among Britain’s hottest fighters of all time, in addition to one of many greatest names in world boxing.
Known as ‘The Hitman’, his explosive, unrelenting fashion had ensured sell-out crowds for all his main fights, whereas he had been crushed solely twice in 47 contests.
When saying his determination to hold up his gloves, Hatton mentioned: “It’s a very sad day for me. I know it’s the right decision though.
“I’ve known it was the right thing to do for 18 months to be honest. It’s a bit of a relief to finally do it.”
The Manchester boxer had not fought since a punishing second-round knockout delivered by Manny Pacquiao in an IBO light-welterweight world title struggle in Las Vegas in 2009.
His solely different defeat on the time had been towards Floyd Mayweather Jr in a WBC welterweight world title contest on the similar MGM Grand Garden Arena in 2007.
Hatton, who had turned skilled in 1997, received his first 21 fights earlier than beating Jon Thaxton on factors to change into British light-welterweight champion in 2000.
He produced an exhilarating upset to win the IBF light-welterweight title by stopping Australia’s Kostya Tszyu in 2005 and have become a two-weight champion by defeating Puerto Rican Luis Collazo to take the WBA welterweight title in 2006.
Hatton’s standing soared additional with a memorable fourth-round knockout of Jose Luis Castillo in Las Vegas in 2007 earlier than struggling his first profession defeat, a Tenth-round stoppage, to Mayweather later that yr.
He was stripped of his boxing licence in 2010 for alleged cocaine use and, after stepping out of retirement for his closing struggle in November 2012, he was stopped by Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Senchenko in spherical 9.
Source: www.impartial.co.uk