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It was with wicked timing that Ricky Hatton laid bare some of his soul, finally admitting his fighting days were done, just as the next generation were turning it on for his one-time promoter and subsequent adversary, Frank Warren. Hatton's muted confession in today's News of the World arrived as the welterweight Kell Brook, who threatens to be a star in the 10-stone-plus mix occupied by Hatton's conquerors Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr, was winning the 22nd contest of his unblemished career on Warren's expanded bill in Birmingham.
Nathan Cleverly and James DeGale also won important fights for Warren that will lead to world title opportunities in the coming months, as word leaked of Hatton's reappearance in the paper that exposed him the previous weekend as a voracious user of *******. Cleverly, one fight from owning the WBO light-heavyweight belt, said: "I hope, after his problems, I can do something to give boxing a little bit of a boost."
There is widespread sympathy in the business for Hatton, who has friends across the spectrum among fighters and fans (if not all promoters), but bewilderment that he continues to play down the extent of his struggle with alcohol and drugs, perhaps the worst kept secrets in boxing. While he fell short of admitting addiction to either vice, but did confront his depression, Hatton also finally put the cap on speculation about his future. "I know I am never going to fight in the ring again," he told the papersaid.
In a confrontational interview that clearly did not go according to the wishes of the people paying for it, Hatton danced around the facts with as much skill as he once showed in the ring. "Problem?" he said in answer to questions about his ******* use. "What problem?" Neither does Hatton regard his alcohol intake with the same concern as those close to him. "You would associate alcoholism with shorts like whisky and vodka – but I have never really had that."
As much as that sparring suggests denial, he revealed worrying details about his health. Hatton could not explain why he had suffered random blackouts, even "when I was stone cold sober", which induced panic attacks and pains in his chest that restricted his breathing. He had no idea, either, why recently he had been watching footage of his brutal knockout by Pacquiao, in his last fight 16 months ago, "every day".
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