Ricky Hatton tribute at Manchester City: Man United fans join Etihad Stadium home crowd in honouring boxer

Dom Farrell

Ricky Hatton tribute at Manchester City: Man United fans join Etihad Stadium home crowd in honouring boxer image

Manchester City and Manchester United came together on Sunday to pay tribute to British boxing great Ricky Hatton, who has aged 46.

Hatton was found dead at his home in Manchester on the morning of the game. The former two-weight world champion was famously a devout City fan.

Unforgettable sporting nights such as his seismic victory over long-reigning champion Kostya Tszyu in June 2005 and his excursions to Las Vegas meant Hatton was a much-loved figure on both sides of the city's footballing divide.

Before kickoff at the 197th Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium, both teams and the capacity crowd inside the ground took part in a moment of appreciation for Hatton, breaking into his famous fan anthem "There's Only One Ricky Hatton".

MORE: Who was Ricky Hatton? Pro record, family, career earnings, personal life of boxing great 'The Hitman' 

Ricky Hatton tribute at Manchester City

Both teams and sets of fans took part in what was described as "a minute's appreciation" at the Etihad, where Hatton actually fought at the height of his career.

In May 2008, he took part in a homecoming fight against Juan Lazcano. Hatton scored a unanimous decision win, bouncing back from a maiden career loss to all-time great Floyd Mayweather Jr. and paving the way for a final world-title success against Paulie Malignaggi later that year.

Juan Lazcano and Ricky Hatton

Speaking before the game, Manchester-born attacking midfielder and fellow City fan Phil Foden told Sky Sports: "My heart goes out to his family at this time. Obviously, to hear the news before a big game is devastating and I'm sure he would've been here supporting us.

"Today is for him and we're going to try to get the win and do the best we can for him. We've got to use it as motivation."

Dom Farrell

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.