Ricky Hatton’s son quit boxing at 24 after tragedy months before his dad’s death

Ricky Hatton’s son Campbell retired from boxing earlier this year after a tragic loss just months before the former world champion boxer was found dead in his home at the age of 46

Ricky Hatton’s son Campbell chose to retire from boxing earlier this year, a decision made just months before his father’s tragic passing.

Hatton was discovered dead in his Greater Manchester home on Sunday morning at the age of 46 after worried friends alerted police when he failed to arrive at an event the previous evening. Local authorities discovered his body and stated that the death is not being treated as suspicious.

Hatton, who clinched six world titles across three weight divisions, will be remembered as one of the UK’s finest fighters of his era. He would have celebrated his 47th birthday next month and leaves behind three children, including his son Campbell, who also pursued a professional boxing career.

Campbell, who was seen as a promising talent, made the sudden decision to retire at the tender age of 24. Campbell started his professional career in 2021 and achieved his first knockout victory over Attila Csereklye later that year. He triumphed in his first 14 bouts before enduring consecutive losses to James Flint in 2024.

After being outscored twice and taking a break from the ring, he appointed his father as his trainer in March. However, merely four months later, it was announced that he was stepping away from boxing with immediate effect.

Ricky shared the news on behalf of his son, who had been grappling with a personal tragedy behind closed doors.

“No, Campbell won’t fight again,” he told Boxing Now. “As you know, he didn’t have much amateur experience. He gave it a go in the amateurs, and then he went pro and gave it a go. He fought for the Area title and got beaten.

“I thought he lost it to be fair, but then he fought the same lad straight away after. I thought he won the second one. They were both very close fights.

“But he lost a little bit of his mojo, and then a few things went wrong. Sadly, he lost one of his best friends, Justin, who passed away at 27 years of age.”

Ricky also disclosed that Campbell had already landed himself another job, insisting that he was proud with his son despite his brief boxing career.

He continued: “I said, ‘Listen son, you should be very proud of yourself, you have given it a go, but if you have lost your mojo, you need to get out.’ You can’t play boxing, you can play any other sport. So I advised him, and now he is doing solar panels.”