Bare knuckle fighter Paulie Malignaggi walked to the ring with Campbell Hatton on Saturday night in tribute to late boxing legend Ricky Hatton. The duo walked arm in arm before Malignaggi faced Rolando Dy for the super-welterweight world title at BKB 54: Mayhem in Manchester.
Ricky Hatton tragically took his own life in September last year. In the aftermath of the shocking loss, Campbell shared that the family were taking things one day at a time.
Before his father's funeral last year, Campbell revealed Ricky used to call his son his "mini-Me." Campbell said, "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. The outpouring of support from absolutely everyone has been amazing, so that's helping us through a lot, but yes, absolutely heartbroken."
Campbell added, "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."
Ring walk and Manchester crowd
The crowd inside the AO Arena in Manchester, which was Ricky's home town, made plenty of noise as Malignaggi and Campbell walked down the ramp before stopping to applaud.
The event was a chance for Malignaggi to earn silverware in another sport. However, the 44-year-old Italian-American fighter looked far from his best against Dy, a 15-13 MMA fighter who had previously fought in the UFC.
Malignaggi was on the back foot from the off and was dropped in the second round before returning to his feet. He was soon hit hard again, pummeled into the ropes and onto the mat, and was unable to get back up before the referee waved off the contest.
Post fight reaction and Hatton legacy
Some fans called for the veteran fighter to retire following the stoppage. Despite the outcome, Malignaggi and Dy remained friendly after the bout and shared a drink together.
Malignaggi had previously fought Ricky Hatton back in 2008, when the Manchester boxer won by an 11th-round TKO.
Campbell shared his father's love of Manchester City, with Ricky having been one of the club's most famous fans. His girlfriend Brooke's father, Simon Heaton, who is a non-league football manager, appeared in the 2023 film 'Hatton' alongside four of Ricky's close friends to speak about Hatton's sporting talent and desire from a young age.
Heaton also talked up Hatton's footballing abilities as a youngster before he chose to pursue boxing. Heaton recalled, "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.'"
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