Manchester Says Goodbye to Ricky Hatton

Ricky Hatton’s coffin left the Cheshire Cheese pub on Stockport Road in Hyde, following a 10-mile route to Manchester Cathedral where it lay in state and then to the Etihad Stadium for its final journey on Friday. Thousands of fans with red roses watched as the funeral procession made its way through streets including Hyde Gym, The New Inn, Hatton’s Gym, Hyde Town Hall and the AO Arena, among others. Former world champions Barry McGuigan, Frank Bruno, Amir Khan, Tyson Fury, Conor Benn, Tony Bellew, Scott Welch, Frazer Clarke, Nigel Benn, Matthew Macklin, Natasha Jonas, Kell Brook and Anthony Crolla were in attendance; footballer Wayne Rooney; Hatton’s former manager Billy Graham; and a brass band playing Hatton’s song, “Walking in a Hatton Wonderland”, to the tune of “Winter Wonderland”. In a city with the blue of Manchester City and the red of Manchester United soccer teams, this Friday were all Ricky Hatton.