People's champ Hatton helped other men admit they needed to talk

HE conquered the boxing world and amassed an army of fans. But Ricky Hatton's greatest legacy might have taken place outside the ring.

- By DAMON WILKINSON

Hatton, whose untimely death at his Tameside home on Sunday aged just 46 rocked Manchester and beyond, long struggled with his mental health.

As a working-class man in the cutthroat world of combat sports, he might have been expected to face his problems in silence. But the father-of-three chose a different path.

With characteristic honesty, bravery and frankness, he spoke openly about his feelings and emotions and helped others recognise theirs. And in doing so he helped transform the way men think about mental health.

"As fighters, we tell ourselves we're strong - we train, we sweat, we take hits, we get up," said Bolton's Amir Khan, Hatton's friend and fellow world champion, following his death.

"But sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind.

"Mental health isn't weakness. It's part of being human. And we must talk about it. We must reach out. We must lean on each other."