Ricky Hatton inquest: Coroner delivers verdict on boxer’s cause of death as tragic new details of his final moments shared

The inquest into the death of boxer Ricky Hatton took place at South Manchester Coroners’ Court in Stockport today (March 20).

Ricky died in September 2025, after taking his own life.

Today, as the inquest got underway, Ricky’s heartbroken family and friends were seen making their way into the court. Inside, statements were read from his devastated mum Carol, son Campbell and manager Paul Speak, who found Ricky’s body.

Ricky Hatton inquest – ‘last hug’ for his mum

Two days before his death, Ricky’s mum Carol revealed that she saw her son for the final time.

In a statement, she said they spoke about him returning to the boxing ring and selling his house. She said when he spoke about the house sale his “eyes were sad”.

She said that he was planning on visiting his parents when he returned from a trip to Dubai, and that he wasn’t happy about his finances. She said it was something he wanted to discuss with his father, Ray.

Carol also said: “The last hug he gave me almost broke my ribs.”

Death ‘wasn’t premeditated’

Ricky’s son Campbell’s statement was also read to the court. In it, he said he believed that his father’s death “wasn’t premeditated”.

However, the family did reveal they’d noticed a “decline” in the boxer’s “short-term memory” in recent years. They said this included forgetting conversations.  Campbell said his dad sometimes showed “how confused and forgetful he could be”.

Pathologist Dr Neil Papworth told how Ricky’s brain showed signs of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a progressive, degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head impacts. However, he noted that it was at the “milder end of the spectrum of this disease”.

Despite this, the family believed Ricky – who struggled with his mental health – was “the best he had been for years” at the time of his death.

Ricky’s body found in games room

Paul Speak, Ricky’s long-time manager and friend, was the one who discovered the boxer’s body.

He said he let himself into Ricky’s home and heard music on upstairs. His body was found fully dressed on the pool table, in the games room of his house, the inquest heard. The lights were switched off but music was playing from a TV.

When he found the body, it was cold, Speak said. The TV was on and there was a bottle of wine opened. The inquest heard post-mortem reports found there was evidence of alcohol intoxication when Ricky died. This was equivalent to being “well over twice the drink drive limit”.

The inquest also heard there was evidence of “cannabinoids” in his system at the time of his death. There was no evidence cocaine was consumed in the hours before Ricky’s death.

No notes were found.

Final movements

The court heard that, at around 6pm on Friday September 12, Ricky had been out with both his daughters and granddaughters for a meal. He returned home at 7.55pm, where he messaged a friend a few minutes later at 8.05pm.

His phone last unlocked at 12.02am on the morning of Saturday 13. This was the last time he had used his phone.

Coroner delivers verdict as full cause of death confirmed

Senior coroner Alison Mutch delivered her verdict this afternoon. A narrative verdict was returned. This is a factual statement of the circumstances surrounding someone’s death, without attributing the cause to an individual.

Ricky Hatton’s medical cause of death was hanging. The coroner said she was not satisfied that he intended to take his own life, given there was no note, he was under the influence of alcohol and there was evidence of CTE.

Read more: Claire Sweeney’s heartbreaking following death of ex-boyfriend Ricky Hatton

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