The late Ricky Hatton made a heartbreaking comment which suggested he was not aware of the love he had from his adoring fanbase.
Hatton 46, was found dead at his Greater Manchester home by close friend and manager Paul Speak on September 14. The father-of-three had been training for a return to the ring in December, an exhibition against Eisa Al Dah in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Tributes for the former two-weight world champion flooded in, with many recalling memories of his stunning world title win over Kostya Tszyu in Manchester.
Hatton then fought Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas, where 30,000 fans travelled to support him - as well as succumbing to a defeat to Manny Pacquiao in 'Sin City'.
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But despite his soaring popularity, Hatton's struggles with mental health were well documented and in an interview discussing his shock death, former cruiserweight champion Jonny Nelson shared insight into the doubts 'The Hitman' had and the mask he put on.
According to Nelson, Hatton thought he was a "failure" and a "laughing stock" despite his incredible career achievements.
Speaking to Boxing King Media, Nelson said: "Can you imagine how lonely he was in his head? His mental state, he spoke about it often and I gather he was in good spirits. I gather what people saw before this was discovered, it was positive.
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"But I just think, Ricky, if he could look down now and see all the love, the outpour of love from around the world for him, then he'd believe that he wasn't a failure and he didn't let people down - that he wasn't a laughing stock.
"In his head, he thought he was. Off-camera he'd say, 'Do you think they're p***ed off with me?' He couldn't see the love and maybe that was the facade, the smile and the jovial Ricky that we saw out and about - that was a mask.
"That facade that everyone's fallen in love with, he's thinking, 'You don't really know me, this is me at home when the doors are shut'.
"You can kind of understand him thinking that way and you've got to be in a dark, low place to think that about yourself."
Peter Fury made tragic Hatton admission
Similarly, Peter Fury, uncle of former world heavyweight champion Tyson, opened up on a conversation he had with Hatton in the days leading up to his tragic death.
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According to boxing trainer Fury, Hatton had told him, "'When you’ve got someone on your shoulder… and putting doubts in your mind,’ he said, ‘It’s a difficult thing to shake off".
Fury added that Hatton "almost had a person on his shoulder, telling him he was no good".
Details of Hatton's funeral have been released by Hatton's family, with a midday service set for Friday October 10 at Manchester Cathedral. The procession will make its way to the Harehill Tavern in Hyde before doves are released at The New Inn in Salford.
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There will be stops at Hatton’s gym, Hyde Town Hall and the AO Arena where he had some of his best career nights.
Topics: Boxing, Ricky Hatton
Josh Lawless