Ricky Hatton’s son Campbell Hatton is set to come out of retirement to fight on a card alongside his cousins in honour of the late boxing champion.
Hatton tragically took his own life in September last year, with Campbell in the aftermath sharing that the family were taking ‘one day at a time’ after their shocking loss.
A former boxer himself, Campbell initially retired from the sport in July of last year, following his back-to-back defeats to rival Jack Finch.
But Campbell confirmed he would be stepping back into the ring 10 months later as part of a fight night in Dubai called ‘Destiny in the Desert’ to pay tribute to his father’s titanic legacy.
Hatton had been set to stage his own comeback in the Gulf State against Eisa Al Dah, but Al Dah will now fight Kell Brook, with Hatton’s family burnishing the card on APril 11.
The 25-year-old lightweight confirmed that he is ‘looking forward to getting back in the ring in memory of my dad out in Dubai’, his cousins Jack and Lola – the children of Hatton’s brother Matthew – also set to take part.
Campbell Hatton is gearing up for a return to the ring following his retirement last July
The 25-year-old will fight on a card which pays tribute to his late father Ricky Hatton
Jack is promising 17-year-old amateur, and his younger sister Lola trains alongside him at Matthew’s gym in Manchester.
Lola shared: ‘Buzzing to say I’m fighting on the Kell Brook undercard over in Dubai, representing team Manchester and the Ricky Hatton Foundation.’
Jack posted his own message, writing: ‘Big opportunity for me, I will be fighting on the undercard of Kell Brook versus Eisa Aldah in Dubai.
‘It will be a great experience, ready to show them what I can do on a big night’.
Before Hatton’s funeral last year, Cambell shared a poignant tribute to his father by revealing he called his son his ‘mini-Me’.
‘We had so many plans coming up, so it has knocked us for six, but obviously, we are trying to be there for each other,’ Campbell shared. ‘The outpouring of support from absolutely everyone has been amazing, so that’s helping us through a lot – but yes, absolutely heartbroken.’
‘He used to call me his little Mini-Me. We were identical in so many ways, and I think it’s shown through how close we were and the banter we had with each other.
‘To so many, he was Ricky Hatton the boxer, but to me, he was just my dad, and to the family, it was Richard. We just can’t get our heads round it at the minute.’
Campbell is since believed to have found love with the daughter of the boxing legend’s ‘best pal’, Brooke Heaton, with the pair taking their relationship public just after Christmas.
Alongside Campbell, his cousins Lola and Jack will also feature in the Gulf state contest
The lightweight has recently found love with daughter of a friend of his late father’s
Campbell and Brooke Heaton are thought to have spent a lot of time together over the festive period
The couple enjoyed a trip away over the New Year, with Brooke joining members of Hatton’s family.
Campbell and Brooke also spent time together over the Christmas period, while she joined him to watch a recent Manchester City match.
Campbell had shared his father’s love of Man City, with Ricky having been one of the club’s most famous fans.
Brooke’s father Simon, who is a non-league football manager, had appeared in the 2023 film ‘Hatton’.
He had joined four of Ricky’s close friends, where they spoke of Hatton’s incredible sporting talent and desire from a young age.
‘You’d be upstairs in the pub and you’d just hear “bang… bang”. “What’s that noise?” Heaton said.
‘It would be Ricky downstairs banging the [punch] bags.’
Heaton had also talked up Hatton’s footballing abilities as a youngster, but he would ultimately pursue and thrive in the boxing ring.
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