Freddie Flintoff has opened up about his “guilt” over the death of legendary boxer Ricky Hatton, as his cause of death was revealed today (Thursday, October 16).
Ricky sadly died on September 14. He was 46 years old.
Ricky Hatton’s cause of death revealed
Last month, Ricky was found dead at his flat. Earlier today, just over a month from his passing, his provisional cause of death was revealed at an inquest in Manchester.
The inquest heard that Ricky was found hanged by his manager at home. The star’s body was found by his long-time manager and friend, Paul Speak. The inquest revealed that Ricky was last seen alive by his family on September 12. The court heard that he “appeared well”, but then failed to attend an event he was expected to attend on the following day.
The coroner said that on the morning of September 14, Speak arrived at the house to take the star to Manchester Airport for a flight. He found the boxer “unresponsive”. The full inquest is set to take place in March 2026.
Freddie Flintoff reveals his ‘guilt’ over Ricky Hatton’s death
Last night (Wednesday, October 15) saw Freddie Flintoff appear on Piers Morgan: Uncensored, where he paid tribute to Ricky.
“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 said.
“He’s charming, he’s funny, our careers run parallel with each other at the height, at the same time. 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,” he then continued.
“[Ricky’s] this working class hero from Manchester who goes into the ring, he fights, all heart. He’s funny. You see him like doing stand up routines at press conferences and he feels like this. And then obviously what’s happened over the past two weeks, it’s been devastating. For obviously his friends, his family but anyone who has been in contact with Ricky,” he then said.
‘It’s terrible’
Freddie then spoke about the last time he saw Ricky.
“I sat with him a while ago on a train. I got on a train and he’d been somewhere,” he said. “We sat together all the way back up to Manchester, quite unexpected. I think it’s like all these things, when something like that happens,” he then continued.
“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’.
“There’s almost a guilt… How people didn’t know? The one thing I found over the past few years, it’s happened to more and more people,” he then said.
Freddie then mentioned Graham Thorpe, who took his own life in August 2024. “With Graham Thorpe in cricket… absolute great man, someone who is thought of so dearly by everyone who he played with and coached,” Freddie said.
“You just feel like, if only we would have known. But you know it’s terrible.”
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