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I'm the British boxing legend who played a huge part in Tyson Fury's comeback
Ricky Hatton admits he “would love” to see his close pal Tyson Fury finally fight Anthony Joshua – and then hang up his gloves for good.
The Gypsy King, 36, suffered only his second career defeat at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk in December last year, meaning he has lost his last two bouts against the same person.
Fury announced he was retiring in January but recently has regularly released footage of himself training, fuelling speculation that a comeback is imminent.
Both Fury and long-time rival Joshua held world titles concurrently but never fought each other during their championship reigns – yet speculation persists of a potential British heavyweight showdown.
Asked if he believes that Fury and 35-year-old Joshua could face each other, Hatton said: “I think they will.
“Tyson has said he’s retired, but he’s retired more times than Frank Sinatra! I love Tyson, I love John and I love Tommy – I’m very, very close to the Fury family. But everything that comes out of all their mouths, I take with a pinch of salt.
“Tyson didn’t get offered the money he thought he should have got for fighting AJ. So he said ‘I’m retiring’ but what’s he done? Gone straight to the gym.
“I don’t know, it wouldn’t surprise me… but Tyson is my man and I’d love him to have one last fight with AJ and then hang his gloves up.
“I’d also love to see AJ then hang his gloves up because boxing is like a family where you get to know everyone.
“So lads, just fight each other in this last fight otherwise you’re never going to forgive yourselves.
“Get it done now and then put your feet up and retire because, God knows, you deserve it.”
Hatton has been a huge pillar of support to Fury during difficult times in the heavyweight’s career.
Hatton has faced his own battle with addiction to drink and drugs and, like his fellow Mancunian, has suffered with bouts of depression.
The 46-year-old revealed: “I used to see Tyson knocking about certain pubs in Manchester and we had a few mutual friends.
“Tyson at the time was about 25 stone and I used to give him a little bit of advice in the pubs and he never took it because he was still on the warpath.
“I didn’t see him for a bit because he went worse, he went under, and I hadn’t seen him for ages.
“All of a sudden I got a phone call and Tyson said ‘I want to make a comeback but I don’t think I’m going to be able to do it. I feel like killing myself’.
“I said ‘let’s forget the comeback, just get yourself in the gym and get some weight down’.
“I said ‘you’re not going to get your head straight while you’re drinking 25 pints of Guinness every night’.
“I said ‘have a bit of a break, don’t start thinking about your comeback – just think about getting your life and your health back on track’.
“And have some time off the beer. Spend some time with the family and get in the gym."
“You’re too big to run so just get in the gym and start walking on the treadmill and going for walks up hills.
“I said ‘you’d be able to make better decisions when you haven’t got a belly full of beer inside you and a massive hangover’.
“And he did. He had a break from it, he stayed off the beer and he started doing some walking.
“Bit by bit, he started losing weight and before his comeback fight in Manchester he said ‘I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you, Ricky’.
“Your health is your wealth and, bit by bit, his weight started going down so in the end he made his comeback.
“But from where he was – at 25 stone and wanting to kill himself as a former world heavyweight world champion – he went and became the heavyweight champion of the world again and had those massive fights with Deontay Wilder.
“For the heavyweight champion of the world to turn around and say I helped him; I’ve done a lot of things in boxing but that’s got to be up there for me.”
Ricky Hatton was a guest speaker at an exclusive breakfast seminar at The Luxe Cinema in Leeds, hosted by Front Row Legal in partnership with Signature Concierge. The event brought together professionals from across the UK for an inspiring conversation about resilience, reinvention and life beyond the ring.
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