Brett McGinty: I hope Ricky Hatton knew just how much he was loved

Brett McGinty says Ricky Hatton was much more than simply a trainer or boxing legend to anyone fortunate enough to have worked with him and indeed known the former world champion.

Hatton's body was discovered at his home in Hyde on Sunday morning and tributes have since poured in for the ‘Hitman’ as the boxing world continues to come to terms with the loss of a sporting icon who won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight.

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St Johnstone native McGinty worked closely with Hatton at his gym in Manchester and the two built up a relationship that stretched well beyond the ring.

Speaking this week, McGinty admits he’s simply devastated by the news of Hatton’s sudden passing but he hopes that his late friend and mentor knew just how much people thought of him as not just a boxer, but as a person.

“It’s devastating news to be honest, a really hard one to take or to understand,” McGinty said. Unfortunately, that’s just where we’re at.

“In terms of Ricky from a personal point of view, I can only hope that he was aware of just how grateful I am for everything he did for me.

I feel like I told him but, I feel like I didn’t tell him enough now. I was so lucky to have him in my life. And I don’t just mean as a trainer. I mean as a friend and as a mentor.

“He brought me over to England, put me under his wing, put a roof over my head. We were up and down the country together training, sparring and fighting.

“We travelled to Ireland as well for the last couple of fights that I had. He just fitted in so well over here in Ireland whenever he came over. He comes from a working-class background, growing up in Hattersley, Manchester.

“So there was no ego with him, he was so down to earth and a real people’s person. I’d say every one of my friends has a selfie or photo with Ricky Hatton. Nothing was ever too much trouble that way.

“I remember one of my fights in Coventry, during Covid, and it was a limited capacity sort of thing at the time with the venue.

“Ricky managed to get us a place in Coventry after, a place one of his friends owned and he sat with the entire group that had come over.

“There was BS with Ricky when it came to that sort of thing”.

McGinty says he grew up - in front of the television back home in Donegal - wide-eyed and in pure awe of ‘Hatton-mania when it was in its absolute pomp.

But the contrast in all of that, the Las Vegas lights, Michael Buffer, Floyd Mayweather and so on, to that of the man behind the superstar persona; McGinty says they couldn’t have been any wider apart.

“There was a show on Sky Sports, Ringside with Adam Smith and Johnny Nelson,” McGinty explained.

“I remember watching it years ago as a wee boy. And at the end of one particular episode they were interviewing Ricky. They asked him how he would sum up his career or like to be remembered?

“In regards to boxing, Ricky said that was for others to decide, really. But summing up himself, he said he’d like to think that he’s be remembered as a world champion, yeah, but more importantly, he’s like to be talked about as someone that never got above himself, who he really was or where he came from.

“That was Ricky and probably best captures what and who he was. He was down to earth and just happened to be blessed with ability that took him to the very top and the grandest stages.

“It’s still talked about now but he had the ability, the public loved him that much, that 40,000 fans travelled to his big fights in Las Vegas.

“Boxing has suffered a serious loss, everyone who was a fan of the sport will feel that way this week. I hope he knew just how much he was loved.

“And like I said, I feel fortunate to have known the man. I’ll forever be grateful for what he’s done for me”.