Ricky Hatton hugged his mum so hard before his death that he "almost broke my ribs" the grieving parent said as coroners concluded an inquest into the late boxer's death.

Hatton, 46, was found dead on September 14, 2025 at his home in Gee Cross, Hyde, in Greater Manchester, by his manager and keyholder, two days after he last saw his mum, Carol. The two, she said, had talked about his potential return to the ring, more than a decade after his retirement, and him selling his house.

She noted her son's "eyes were sad" at the time, and that he had spoken about the future, including visiting his parents after an upcoming trip to Dubai.

Ricky Hatton's mum delivered at statement to the inquest(Image: PA)

Ricky's son, Campbell, said his dad had been the "best he’d been in years and made massive plans for the future" which, alongside his trip to Dubai, included another trip to Thailand and other family holidays.

The inquest into his death held at Stockport Coroner's Court on Friday heard he was looking forward to the future, and that it was not clear he had intended to take his own life. The 46-year-old was described as a doting father, in good spirits and despite past troubles with alcohol and drugs, had been the best “in years”, his family said.

Hatton took his daughters and granddaughter out to a pub for a meal on the evening of Friday September 12 last year, the court heard.

Campbell Hatton said his dad appeared happy before his death(Image: Getty Images)

He appeared normal and after dropping them off told them he would see them in a couple of days after a trip to Dubai where he was due to take part in an exhibition boxing match, the court heard. But he failed to attend an engagement on Saturday and at 6.30am on the Sunday morning, his manager Paul Speak arrived at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, to take him take him to the airport to catch the flight to Dubai.

Hatton was found unresponsive in the upstairs games room at his house. The inquest concluded the official cause of death was hanging.

Tests showed the former Dancing On Ice contestant was “well over” the drink-drive limit at the time of his death. Traces of previous use of cocaine and cannabis were also found. And post-mortem evidence showed some damage to his brain identified as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) associated with boxing.

A post-mortem found signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in Ricky Hatton(Image: PA)

Alison Mutch, senior coroner for South Manchester, told the court, attended by the boxer’s father, son and ex-partner and mother of his daughters, that no notes had been found from Hatton and there was no information uncovered by police to suggest he was planning to take his own life.

Concluding the inquest, she said: “He had made significant future plans and no notes were found indicating he intended to take his own life.

“I have listened very carefully to all the evidence. When I add everything together, I cannot be satisfied he intended to take his own life. Therefore, it is not possible in law for me to conclude suicide. I have concluded a narrative verdict. His intention remains unclear as he was under the influence of alcohol and the neuropathological post-mortem found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and that’s the conclusion I draw.”

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