Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: Boxing, Ricky Hatton
Ryan Smart
Ricky Hatton's brother, Matthew, has said that he was 'always worried' about the British boxing legend after seeing the interviews he gave before his death aged 46.
Hatton was found dead at his home in Greater Manchester on the morning of September 14.
An inquest, held at South Manchester Coroner's Court in Stockport earlier this month, heard that he had taken his own life.
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His funeral was held on October 10 and was attended by a number of well-known sporting figures, including Tyson Fury, Andrew Flintoff and Tony Bellew.
Now, Hatton's younger brother Matthew has spoken publicly about the three-time world champion for the first time since his death in an interview with ITV.
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The 44-year-old, himself a former boxer who won the European welterweight title, was asked by the interviewer whether it was 'fair to say' that 'nobody believed that he would take his own life'.
"No, I don't think we ever did," Hatton replied.
"I'll be honest, I've always worried about... I spoke with my partner Jenna all the time, and we did worry about Richard.
"Obviously he'd do a lot of interviews and stuff like that. And I'd listen, and I was never really convinced sometimes by what he was saying.
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"A lot of the time, he was speaking about things that happened years ago, and he didn't really seem to have a purpose now or a vision for the future. And that always worried me.
"But genuinely, this year, it's the best he's ever been. By a long, long way. Because he's had his problems since he stopped boxing, he's had his issues, they've been well documented. But this year was undoubtedly he best I've ever seen him.
"It was a shock, and we didn't expect that at all."
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The Ricky Hatton Foundation has already been set up in the wake of the British boxing legend's death, to raise awareness of and provide support for people with mental health problems.
"That's going to be driven by Paul, his manager, and Campbell [son]," Hatton said of other initiatives that are planned.
"They've got some great ideas. I think they're going to be reaching out to sportspeople who have retired from sport and are struggling.
"I've told them both that I'll be there to help them every step of the way. That's certainly something I can help with, because people struggle when they stop professional sport, as I did myself. But I've transitioned quite well, and I'm more than there.
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"They've got some great ideas. Richard had such a legacy, and it's going to be great that that's going to be pushed forward."
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and would like to speak to someone in confidence, there are several helplines available for support. The Samaritans offer an anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123, or you can email them directly.
The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) also operate a phoneline from 5pm to midnight every day on 0800 58 58 58, while they also have a webchat service if you would prefer not to talk over the phone.