Tyson Fury left himself open to accusations of self-indulgence with his choice of outfit as he attended Ricky Hatton’s funeral, but a heartwarming explanation has emerged.
The former world heavyweight champion was among dozens of high-profile attendees as the world of boxing and the local community came together on Friday to celebrate and commemorate the life of one of Manchester’s favourite sons.
Hatton, a popular, larger-than-life character who unified the light-welterweight division and also won a world welterweight title, was found dead aged 46 at his home in Hyde on September 14.
A funeral procession started at 9.45am at the Cheshire Cheese pub – Hatton’s local – and was led by the famous Reliant Robin van from Only Fools and Horses. Hatton was a huge fan of the show and once bought one of the original three-wheelers for £4,000.
The cortege includesd stops at Hatton’s boxing gym and the AO Arena, where he enjoyed some of his finest moments, the highlight indisputably being a win over the celebrated Kostya Tszyu on a raucous night 20 years ago to capture his first world title.
Thousands of mourners lined the streets to pay tribute to Hatton, with a private memorial service at the city’s cathedral starting at midday.
Fury, meanwhile, drew attention for his outfit, a suit adorned with multiple images of himself.
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The pictures appeared to show Fury sitting on a throne wearing a crown, a nod to some of his iconic ring entrances over the years, and the former world champion marrying his wife Paris.
It has been suggested, however, that Fury’s outlandish garb was, in fact, a nod to his close friendship with Hatton.
While Fury was fronting coverage of Daniel Dubois’ victory over Ricardo Snijders in 2020, Fury wore a similar suit featuring dozens of images of boxers through the ages – which Hatton teased him over at the time.
Recording from the pub in a clip he shared on social media at the time, Hatton said: ‘Tyson, what are you doing with that suit on? I remember when David Haye used to wear s*** suits, but now you’ve overtook him you d*****, oh my god!’
Prior to the funeral, Fury posted a video on his Instagram page in which he paid a more serious, heartfelt tribute to his friend and fellow British boxing legend.
He said: ‘Today is the day of Ricky Hatton’s funeral. And I’m not going to be alone here when I say this, but Ricky inspired me as a young boy to go on and do great things in boxing.
‘I wanted to be just like him: the ring walks, the flashy shorts, the fans, the chanting.
‘When I was a little kid, he was fighting for his world title in Manchester and I was there, along with a lot of kids, to watch a world title fight by Ricky.
‘So without Ricky Hatton, Manchester wouldn’t have had, the north west wouldn’t have had, the UK wouldn’t have had so many boxing world champions inspired by the great Hitman Hatton.
‘Rest in peace, Rick. See you soon, buddy.’