Hatton in return to boxing at age of 43
8-1 Chased leaders, 2nd going well before 2 out, led between last 2, stayed on gamely run-in, always doing enough, won at Sandown 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-145 (2) gd in Apr ‘21 beating Byron Flyer by 1/2l, 12 ran. 28-1 Chased leader, not fluent 5th, led before 3 out, pressed 2 out, soon headed and edged right, left in 2nd just after last, dropped to 3rd flat, no extra towards finish, 3rd of 7, 18l behind Epatante at Aintree 2m 4f hdl G1 (1) gs. 40-1 Mid-division, headway on outside 6th, challenging going ok when fell 2 out, in a race won by Marie’s Rock at Cheltenham 2m 4f mares hdl Grd 1 (1) gs in Mar, 12 ran.
9-2fav Prominent, blundered and lost a few places 4th, 5th 4 out, no impression 3 out, modest 4th before 2 out until after last, 5th of 16, 26l behind Windsor Avenue at Doncaster 3m lstd hcp chs (1) gd in Jan.
(22) D McCain 8 11-12 (D2) ......... B Hughes (22) D Skelton 9 11-6 (D2) ....................... H Skelton
(22) P Nicholls 8 11-6 .......................... H Cobden (21) M Harris 7 11-6 (D3) ............................. M Bastyan
(26) F O’Brien 8 11-5 (D5) ............... P Brennan (43) A Carroll 7 11-3 ......................... H Bannister
(35) R Rowe 8 10-12 (BF, D2) .......... J M Davies
9-4fav Led, headed 8th, led again after 14th, went clear 3 out, ran on well, won at Ayr 2m 4f lstd hcp chs (1) gs beating
Coach Carter by 2 1/4l, 7 ran. 6-5fav Close up, not fluent 10th, led before 4 out, went clear from 3 out, ridden before 2 out, driven out and stayed on well run-in, won at Ludlow 2m 4f hcp chs 0-130 (3) gd in Mar beating Muckamore by 9l, 3 ran. 5-1 Close up, blundered 7th and lost place, bad mistake and unseated rider next, in a race won by Beakstown at Ayr 2m 4f lstd hcp chs (1) gs, 7 ran.
14-1 Midfield, went second 7th, led next, headed after 14th, lost place approaching 4 out, ridden and keeping on when fell 2 out, in a race won by Beakstown at Ayr 2m 4f lstd hcp chs (1) gs, 7 ran. 7-2fav Settled towards rear, ridden briefly after 9th and again after next, lost ground 5 out, stayed on after 2 out, went 3rd after last, 3rd of 10, 15l behind Killer Clown at Kempton 2m 4f hcp chs 0-150 (2) gd in Mar. 8-1 In rear, hit 5th, headway when not fluent 14th, ridden before 4 out, one pace, 4th of 5, 13l behind Do Your Job at Ayr 2m 4f nov chs G2 (1) gs. 11-8 Raced wide tracked winner, pushed along 4 out, ridden next, every chance last, kept on one pace, 2nd of 4, 4 1/2l behind Friend Or Foe at Leicester 2m nov Limited hcap ch (3) gs in Mar.
BEYOND THE CLOUDS (189)CLongsdon911-12(BF)..BHughes
CALL ME LORD (38) N Henderson 9 11-11 (C3) ................. D Jacob PRESS YOUR LUCK (35) C Gordon 7 11-9 (D) ................. T Cannon SAMARRIVE (42) P Nicholls 5 11-8 (C) ........................... H Cobden FLASHING GLANCE (16) T Lacey 9 11-4 (D2) ... Mr Dylan Kitts (10) GLYNN (315) N Henderson 8 11-4 ........................... N De Boinville
FIFTY BALL (27)GLMoore711-1(C) .................. NFHoulihan(3)
HALO DES OBEAUX (141)PNicholls510-13 ................ LWilliams CHAMPAGNE COURT (27) J Scott 9 10-11 (CD) ................ R Dingle SMURPHY ENKI (63) C Gordon 7 10-8 ........................... A Wedge KAMAXOS (32)RTeal510-6 ........................................ JMDavies ANDALEEP MrsSLeech610-0 ..................... MissRoisinLeech(7) BETTING: 9-2 Fifty Ball, 5 Press Your Luck, 6 Kamaxos, 8 Flashing Glance, Champagne Court, 10 Samarrive, Halo Des Obeaux, Call Me Lord, Glynn, Beyond The Clouds, 14 Others
RICKY Hatton has opened up on why he will return to boxing aged 43 – almost 10 years after his last fight after he was inspired by Tyson Fury’s comeback.
Hatton had trained Tyson Fury in recent years, being in his corner for his comeback fights, and has revealed that like Fury, he battled with depression and drew on similarities between their experiences – saying the Gypsy King found himself in a ‘very dark place’ after winning the world title against Wladimir Klitschko.
The Manchester legend compared that feeling to with what he suffered with after his first professional loss to Floyd Mayweather in December 2007, which had begun a dark period in his life when he suffered with depression and lead to a drinking problem.
He said: “The thing that got the ball rolling for me was the Mayweather fight. I didn’t just turn up for my biggest payday to fight Floyd Mayweather. I genuinely thought I was going to beat him. Then when I didn’t, I couldn’t do any appearances. I couldn’t go out in public. I couldn’t show my face. It was a real horrible experience.”
Hatton added: “Tyson was very similar to me. I have spoken to Tyson about this. He’s not going into as much detail, but he said he just got into a very, very dark place.
“He even said he was depressed when he won the world title. You think to yourself, how can you become the heavyweight champion of the world and still be in such a deep and dark place?”
Although it won’t be an official comeback, as he is set to fight Marco Antonio Barrera in an exhibition bout, the Manchester legend has revealed that he needed a reason to get out of bed and something to look forward to.
Hatton will fight in front of his hometown fans at the Manchester Arena on July 2 in what is being described as a ‘party-like event’ – with live music to be played on the night as well as other bouts to be scheduled.
Hatton has not fought since 2012, which was one comeback fight after originally retiring in 2009 following his high-profile defeat to Manny Pacquiao.
The fighter was soundly defeated in that fight, after being dropped twice in the first-round before a devastating shot secured the win in the second.
Hatton was just 31 at the time, a young age to retire as a boxer, losing his passion for the sport after making millions in fights.
He would come back for one more bout in 2012, but after losing to Vyacheslav Senchenko, he immediately retired from fighting.
Ten years later though, Hatton, will be back in the ring once more.
He insists it is not the start of a real comeback and the fight at Manchester Arena will have no decision and neither man will ‘go for the kill.’ It is set to be a ‘concert-like atmosphere’ for the event.