Boxing legend Ricky Hatton dies aged 46

He was 46.

Manchester police said they found his body early on Sunday morning (UK Time) and that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

“We can confirm that we have found a body at an address on Bowlacre Road in Gee Cross at 6.45am today, Sunday, September 14,” Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious.”

The former unified super-lightweight world champion will go down as one of the country’s greatest ever boxers, famous for blockbuster showdowns with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.

Hatton was a household name at the height of his boxing career, managing to attract thousands of English fans to Las Vegas for his world title showdowns.

Those same fans would belt out his trademarked walkout song “Blue Moon” and dozens of Hatton-related chants at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

A Manchester City diehard, ‘The Hitman’ was occasionally walked to the ring by Oasis bandleaders Noel and Liam Gallagher.

Hatton, who retired in 2012, was open about his post-fighting struggles, with the former two-weight world champion battling depression and issues with alcohol.

He had recently announced his intention to return to the ring in December.

For Australian fans, he will be remembered for handing Kostya Tszyu the 11th round stoppage loss that ended the ‘Thunder From Down Under’s’ career.

It was a win Hatton later described as “my best-ever performance.

“He had a reputation as a real powerhouse, blasting out everyone in a couple of rounds.

“No one thought I was going to beat Kostya, let alone beat him in that manner.”

He also revealed that Tszyu was the hardest puncher he ever faced and that the gruelling bout left him too tired to take part in his usual post-fight routine.

“Back at the hotel after that war with Kostya, I was too exhausted even to have a Guinness,” he wrote.

“A first for me after a fight.”

The win over Tszyu propelled Hatton into his stratospheric fame and fortune, and eventually into his pair of fights against two of his generation’s best in Mayweather and Pacquiao.

He was stopped in both, but won over millions of new followers for his happy-go-lucky attitude in the build-up and fan friendly fighting style.

Former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury led the tributes on social media, writing: “RIP to the legend Ricky Hatton.

“There will only ever be 1 Ricky Hatton. Can’t believe this. So young.”