Freddie Flintoff has paid tribute to Ricky Hatton following his passing and opened up on the 'guilt' he felt in the wake of his friend's death.
Hatton died at his home in Greater Manchester on September 14 at the age of just 46 as Greater Manchester Police said there were no suspicious circumstances and referred his death to the coroner.
He is believed to have killed himself, according to a provisional cause of death given at the opening of his inquest at South Manchester Coroner’s Court.
Speaking before Thursday's inquest, Campbell Hatton revealed how his family are coping in the aftermath of his father's passing.
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Flintoff, who attended Hatton's funeral at Manchester Cathedral, also shared his thoughts on the boxing legend's death, revealing an exchange they had on a train.
The cricket icon recalled sitting next to the former world champion boxer on a train journey back to Manchester, claiming he seemed 'fine' ahead of his proposed exhibition bout in Dubai.
Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, he said: "I sat with him a while ago on a train. I got on a train and he'd been somewhere. We sat together all the way back up to Manchester, like, quite unexpected. And I think it's like all these things, when something like that happens and you speak and everyone says, 'He seemed fine', 'he seemed all right', ''he was looking forward to fighting in the next few weeks out in Dubai'."
In a candid conversation with Morgan, Flintoff spoke about the 'guilt' he felt following Hatton's passing.
"There’s almost a guilt... How people didn't know? And the one thing I found in recent years, over the past few years, it's happened to more and more people," he added. "With Graham Thorpe in cricket who [was an] absolute great man, someone who is thought of so dearly by everyone who played with and everyone he’s coached. You just feel like, if only we would have known. But you know it’s terrible."
Watch Freddie’s full interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored, YouTube on today.
Flintoff met Hatton for the first time when they filmed a segment for Sky Sports, with the 47-year-old, who hails from Preston, singing the praises of his fellow Northerner.
"It’s quite close to home in a lot of ways. Ricky, one of the great men, you know, I met him years ago. We did a thing for Sky Sports and I went on the pads and he started hitting me and I was a fan as well... He’s charming, he’s funny, our careers run parallel with each other at the height, at the same time," he continued.
"I went to his fights... We had nights out in the Press Club in Manchester and we’ve sung karaoke together and I never knew all these things that he was struggling with until we sat down. When we started talking, obviously, he was so honest about what he had been going through and what he felt. And then, as he was talking, I was, like, relating to it. I’ve felt like that, that’s what I’ve been like.
"Then it just turned into a chat about two blokes being really honest. I suppose that documentary changed and I wasn’t going to give as much away about myself but then felt obliged to actually if he’s doing this."
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Topics: Ricky Hatton, Boxing
Nasir Jabbar