Boxing must do more to help its lost souls.

Freddie Flintoff admits he has felt ‘guilt’ over Ricky Hatton’s death.

Hatton was found dead at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, by his long-term manager and close friend Paul Speak on September 14.

On Thursday, a coroner’s court heard that Hatton was found hanged and was last seen by his family two days previously.

Flintoff, who attended Hatton’s funeral at Manchester Cathedral last Friday, said he was unaware of the former world champion’s struggle with depression until they sat down together and spoke on the ‘Hidden Side Of Sport’ documentary in 2012.

‘It was quite close to home in a lot of ways,’ Flintoff said when asked about Hatton’s death.

‘Ricky, one of the great men, you know, I met him years ago. We did a thing for Sky Sports and I went on the pads and he started hitting me and I was a fan as well.

‘He’s charming, he’s funny, our careers run parallel with each other at the height, at the same time. I went to his fights… we had nights out in the Press Club in Manchester and we’ve sung karaoke together and I never knew all these things that he was struggling with until we sat down.

‘When we started talking, obviously, he was so honest about what he had been going through and what he felt. And then, as he was talking, I was, like, relating to it. I’ve felt like that, that’s what I’ve been like. Then it just turned into a chat about two blokes being really honest.

‘I suppose that documentary changed and I wasn’t going to give as much away about myself but then felt obliged to actually if he’s doing this.

‘This working class hero from Manchester who goes into the ring, he fights, all heart. He’s funny. You see him like doing stand up routines at press conferences and he feels like this. And then obviously what’s happened over the past two weeks, it’s been devastating. For obviously his friends, his family but anyone who has been in contact with Ricky. I’ve been in contact with his manager Speaky, obviously he’s broken.’

Asked when he last saw Hatton, Flintoff said: ‘I sat with him a while ago on a train. I got on a train and he’d been somewhere.

‘We sat together all the way back up to Manchester, quite unexpected. I think it’s like all these things, when something like that happens. You speak and everyone says, ‘he seemed fine’, ‘he seemed all right’, ‘he was looking forward to fighting in the next few weeks out in Dubai’.

‘There’s almost a guilt… it’s like – how people didn’t know? The one thing I found cover the past few years, it’s happened to more and more people.

‘With Graham Thorpe in cricket… absolute great man, someone who is thought of so dearly by everyone who he played with and everyone he coached.

‘You just feel like, ‘if only we would have known’. But you know it’s terrible.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

‘It means the world to us as a family’.

Ricky Hatton was found dead at his home earlier this month (Getty)

Ricky Hatton’s long-time manager says he was in a state of ‘shock and confusion’ after finding the boxer dead at his home.

Paul Speak had worked with Hat…

Hatton and the Gallagher brothers were good friends.

Chris Eubank Jr speaking at the Conor Benn press conference (Picture: Getty)

Chris Eubank Jr is facing criticism for interrupting boxing promoter Eddie Hearn’s tribute to the late Ricky Hatton.

Hatton, one of the most successful and popul…

‘It’s such a shame. It made me feel sick.’

Campbell Hatton says ‘heartbroken isn’t the word’ following his father’s death (Getty)

Ricky Hatton’s son, Campbell, has posted a heartfelt tribute to his father, who was found dead at the age of 46 at his home in M…

Ricky Hatton was found dead at his home in Manchester (Picture: Getty)

Ricky Hatton opened up on how he ‘wanted to be remembered’ just one week before his tragic death.

The former world champion boxer and British sporting lege…

The pair dated last year.

Boxing icon Ricky Hatton was found dead at the age of 46 (Picture: Getty)

Ricky Hatton was found dead by his long-standing manager and ‘close friend’ Paul Speak, boxing commentator Steve Bunce has revealed.

Bunce, who was also…

Listening to the former champion recall the glory days and the moments that still lived deeply with him was one of my favourite times of the week.

Ricky Hatton was found dead at the age of 46 (Picture: Getty)

Ricky Hatton’s family say ‘words cannot truly capture the pain we feel’ after the boxing legend was found dead at the age of 46.

Hatton was one of the most su…

Metro spoke to Ricky Hatton just seven days before his tragic passing (Picture: Getty)

‘Hello, how are you doing?’ Ricky Hatton’s unforgettable Mancunian accent echoed down the phone.

Only seven days ago, I called Hatton to speak to him a…

A heartbroken mum has shared the video her bullied son received from Ricky Hatton just a few days before his death.

Tributes have poured in after Hatton, one of the best and most popular boxers of his generation, was found dead at the age of 46.

Those who knew Hatton have remembered not only a sporting legend but a ‘one of a kind’ character who wanted to help people until the very end.

Further evidence of his character is seen in a touching video Hatton sent to mum Sally after her son Louie was targeted by bullies at school.

Hatton told the schoolboy to ‘keep his chin up’ and told him to try ‘not to worry’ about the bullies as even he, a boxing icon, suffered at school.

The Mancunian also praised Louie for recently taking up boxing, telling him it would give him ‘confidence’ that he too got after starting boxing several decades ago.

‘I believe you’ve been having a tough time at school by a couple of bullies,’ Hatton said in the touching clip.

‘Don’t worry about it my mate, that’s nothing new. Even I had a bully when I was at school.

‘But you’ve done the right thing taking up the boxing, not so you can get your own back on him and beat him up, but boxing gives you confidence, doesn’t it?

‘And the minute these bullies see you’ve got a little bit of confidence, they’ll leave you alone. So I think you’ve done the right thing, mate.

‘Keep your chin up, and I wish you all the best with the boxing. Good luck, son.’

Louie’s mum Sally posted the clip last Wednesday, just days before Hatton was found dead at his home in Manchester.

After Hatton died, Sally said she would ‘treasure the video forever’ and feels lucky to have it.

The mum fought back tears as she posted an emotional video to social media, saying: ‘This man took his time to send this video to my little boy.’

More to follow…

The pair escaped a nightclub shootout once.

Billy Graham was Ricky Hatton’s trainer for his key world title fights (Action Images)

Ricky Hatton’s former trainer, Billy Graham, left a heartbreaking message outside the boxer’s home following his death on Sunday.

Hat…

A minute’s appreciation was held for Ricky Hatton (Picture: Getty)

Manchester City and Manchester United fans paid tribute to Ricky Hatton ahead of their Premier League derby following his death at the age of 46.

The former boxing w…

Manny Pacquiao has paid tribute to ‘brave and kind’ Ricky Hatton (Getty)

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao has paid tribute to Ricky Hatton after his death aged 46.

Hatton was found dead at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, in …

The boxer appeared on Dancing on Ice in 2024.

Hatton brought something new to the sport and spoke to the working people across the country.

Ricky Hatton with his son Campbell earlier this year (Picture: Getty)

Ricky Hatton’s son Campbell retired from boxing at the age of 24 just months before his dad died aged 46.

British boxing fans were keen to see Campbell follow in …

The boxing legend was found dead at his home.

Ricky Hatton looked fit and strong in his final Instagram post just days before the British sporting icon tragically died aged 46.

Hatton, one of the greatest boxers Great Britain has ever produced, was found dead at his home in Manchester on Sunday.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: ‘Officers were called by a member of the public to attend Bowlacre Road, Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45am today where they found the body of a 46-year-old man.

‘There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.’

‘The Hitman’ won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight and was one of the most popular fighters of his generation.

Hatton last fought professionally in 2012, ending a brilliant 15-year career with 45 wins from 48 bouts.

In his final Instagram post, Hatton uploaded a video showing him training for his comeback fight in December.

It was announced in July that Hatton would be fighting Eisa Al Dah in a middleweight bout in Dubai.

In the final video he uploaded to social media, Hatton said he was pleased to get ‘another 5k’ in the bag as he filmed himself on a treadmill, dripped in sweat.

Organisers said Hatton’s fight against Al Hah would be a professional bout, but it was unclear whether it would be fully sanctioned.

Hatton was nevertheless taking his training seriously, often posting videos and pictures of his work in the gym ahead of his return to the ring.

The British sporting legend was also taking part in media sessions to promote the right and recently spoke to Metro about his comeback in an interview yet to be published.

Discussing his comeback earlier in the year, Hatton said he was ‘really looking forward to it.’

‘The Hitman’ had already made an unsuccessful comeback in 2012, losing to Vyacheslav Senchenko in Manchester, while he fought Marco Antonio Barrera in an exhibition in 2022.

While training to fight Barrera, discussed how he ‘reached rock bottom’ following his boxing career and said he suffered from depression.

‘It was a very easy decision to me to make,’ the then-44-year-old told BBC Sport.

‘The whole purpose was to set myself a goal for this exhibition, to get in shape and inspire so many people.

‘I haven’t even set foot in the ring yet but the letters, comments of people who’ve struggled with weight, struggled with mental health have said: “Wow, if you can do it, what you’ve been through and shift all that weight at 44 years of age?”

‘That’s what it’s all about for me, just as much as throwing the punches.’

Hatton’s most notable world title wins came against Kostya Tszyu and Jose Luis Castillo, while he suffered defeats to all-time greats Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio.

Such was his popularity, over 30,000 fans travelled to Las Vegas for Hatton’s title fight against Mayweather in 2007.

Those inside and outside the world of boxing have begun to pay tribute to Hatton, one of the best and most popular athletes of his generation.

Amir Khan, another British boxing icon, said: ‘Today we lost not only one of Britain’s greatest boxers, but a friend, a mentor, a warrior, Ricky Hatton.

‘As fighters, we tell ourselves we’re strong — we train, we sweat, we take hits, we get up. But sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind.

‘Mental health isn’t weakness. It’s part of being human. And we must talk about it. We must reach out. We must lean on each other.

‘Ricky, thank you for everything. For your fights, your moments of glory, your grit. Thank you for pushing us, showing us what’s possible.

‘To everyone reading this: if you’re hurting or struggling, you are not alone. Talk. Reach out. Because we need more light, more compassion, more understanding.

‘Rest well, Ricky. You’ll always have your place in the ring of our memories.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Hatton was found at his home in Greater Manchester.