LegendaryBritish and Manc boxer Ricky Hatton is hosting an exclusive ‘Evening With’ event for fans in his hometown later this year.
Born in Stockport but famously raised in a pub and the boxing gyms of Hattersley in Hyde, Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton is one of Greater Manchester’s most famous sporting sons – most certainly in the realm of combat sports – and while he may be long retired, he’s still decades of stories to tell.
With that in mind, the 46-year-old has decided to host ‘An Evening with Ricky Hatton‘ in partnership with Heroes and Legends Events, who specialise in bringing icons from various sports into a public forum for fans to hear from, meet and more.
His following is still strong, so he no doubt could have picked from many different venues, but just like with his local énergie Fitness gym, a.k.a. Ricky Hatton’s Health and Fitness Club, there’s nothing like the strength of home crowd and so he’ll rather fittingly be speaking at Hyde Town Hall.
The former WBA (Super), IBF, IBO; The Ring Light Welterweight Champion, and WBA Welterweight Champ’s event will see him discuss well over a decade in the discipline as a professional, as well his career since retiring, i.e. as a gym owner, promoter and trainer for other talents like his son, Campbell.
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It also coincides with the 20th anniversary of his watershed win over Kostya Tszyu in June 2005, a moment that changed his trajectory and British boxing for years to come.
‘The Pride of Hyde’ went from a pale teenage prospect to an internationally recognised name, winning multiple titles in his class, spending a good chunk of his career undefeated, and even going on to fight one of the greatest of all time, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
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We still have faint memories of how big a deal it was back then, and they certainly made a spectacle of the night at the Arena.
You can see a retro Sky Sports clip of the night down below:
RICKY ROCKED THE WORLD👑
Here's how @HitmanHatton announced himself on the world scene on a memorable night in Manchester fifteen years ago today
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) June 4, 2020
With just a trio of losses and 32 knockouts from 45 wins to his name, he is one of the best to ever come out of the country, let alone Greater Manchester and having seen him run drills during an interview we did with him back in 2023, he’s still plenty handy now.
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Having been given an MBE for her services to sport and charity work back in 2013 and inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame just a couple of years later, his reputation doesn’t need any more explanation – it’ll be a fascinating talk to be sat in on.
There are a total of three evenings with Ricky Hatton this year but only one in his home county, with the Hyde Town Hall date set for Wednesday, 4 June – in line with the 20th anniversary of the seminal Kostya Tszyu fight.
A reminder that class is permanent as Kevin De Bruyne inspires remarkable Man City comeback
Danny Jones
If there was ever any doubt that Kevin De Bruyne isn’t just Manchester City’s best player but arguably the best in the Premier League full stop, then his inspiring display at the Etihad Stadium in their emphatic 5-2 comeback against Crystal Palace should have well and truly quashed those.
Man City received a rather large early shock after finding themselves two goals down after just 21 minutes on Saturday, and it looked to be a topsy-turvy day that would once again confirm they are human in what has been their least dominant season for some time.
However, the reminder that we ultimately got is that is aging, injury problems and legs not moving quite as quickly as they used to may get the better of some, but class is permanent and if Blues could pick any player slightly past his prime to get them out of a tight spot, it will be Kevin De Bruyne 11 times out 10.
The Belgian midfielder not only got he team and the crowd back in the fight with a wonderful free-kick to make it 2-1, but he also managed to grab an assist for the third goal by Mateo Kovačić, having well and truly gotten their creative juices flowing. Speaking after the game, he made the objectives clear:
A leader, armband or not. Here’s what he has to say after the game.
Leading by example and then some.
In truth, he could have had at least one more goal were it not for a strike rattling the post, as well as essentially helped carve out the equaliser from Omar Marmoush – now on six league goals for the season – and regardless of his recent fitness issues, his quality shone through as always.
The 33-year-old described himself as being relatively “pain-free” for the last year, and putting smaller issues with hamstrings and a hernia aside, he is already starting to reflect on what has been a remarkable 10 years both for the club and him personally here in Manchester.
He went on to add that winning the FA Cup would be the “perfect ending” to his time in Manchester, but who knows? Maybe they could always tie on a second FIFA Club World Cup if he’s still around by then.
As for Pep Guardiola, you only need to see the way he looked at his number 17 when he walked off the pitch to see how much he means to the side and the fans, going on to add in the post-match that not only did he obviously “change the momentum” and the game but he knows he can always “rely on him.”
In fact, Pep summed up the legacy he’s going to leave behind in just one word…
“His legacy will be eternal.” 💙
Pep Guardiola on the race for Champions League football and Kevin de Bruyne's announcement 🤝
De Bruyne confirmed he will be leaving the Etihad at the end of the season after a decade that has established him as one of the very best players in the world, and it’s more than fair to say that City won’t be the same without him – we’re pretty sure neither will the league.
It doesn’t matter who you support, he won’t be playing forever, so enjoy watching it while it lasts.
You can watch the highlights from Man City’s magnificent Premier League comeback against Crystal Palace, led by the brilliance of Kevin De Bruyne, in full down below:
Featured Images — TNT Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
Sport
A release date for the Freddie Flintoff documentary has been confirmed
Danny Jones
The release date for the upcoming Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff documentary has been revealed, and it’s coming a lot sooner than many expected.
Simply entitled Flintoff, the documentary has been highly anticipated among UK audiences, especially given events in recent years.
Landing on Disney+ only, the film will follow his glittering cricket career as well as his return to the sport and the public after a life-altering car crash whilst filming Top Gear in 2022.
Much to our surprise, it’s all ready to go and is dropping next month.
— What’s On Disney Plus (@disneyplusnews) April 11, 2025
The Disney+ doc will run for approximately 90 minutes and follow on from his recent BBC series, Freddie Flintoff‘s Field of Dreams, which saw him start to open up about the difficult period and recovery publicly for the first time.
An eye-opening and candid show in its own right alongside the inspiring story of a teen cricket team being coached by the Lancashire and England legend, he won even more hearts when the second season launched last August.
It’s no surprise that there is a third instalment on its way next year.
It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time he’s been the subject of his own documentary, as the 47-year-old also released a BBC One called Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia, charting his personal struggles with the eating disorder and mental health even prior to the trauma of his crash.
You can see a snippet of the one-off show down below.
The Preston-born all-rounder has confessed he still suffers from PTSD following the incident, detailing struggles with anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks of the crash, insisting that it “changed my life forever.”
All that being said, we’re glad to see that he’s continued to overcome numerous obstacles and remains an extremely funny and personable figure, as well as an eternal icon of British sport that so many admire.
As for Disney’s Flintoff film, the documentary will be available exclusively on the streaming platform in the UK and Ireland from Friday, April 25.
Danny Jones -
8th April 2025 
