Tens of thousands lined the streets of Manchester on Friday to pay tribute to Ricky Hatton, the former world champion boxer who died last month aged 46. The funeral cortege wound its way through the city, with mourners clapping at every stop on its two-hour route from his favourite pub, the Cheshire Cheese in Hyde, to Manchester Cathedral.
Family, friends and celebrities packed the cathedral, with Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and Manchester United great Wayne Rooney among the attendees. Hatton's coffin, painted light blue in honour of his beloved Manchester City, was carried by family and friends including his brother Matthew Hatton and son Campbell Hatton, both boxers.
In an emotional speech, Campbell called his father 'the people's champion' and said: 'I can't explain how much I'm going to miss you, Dad, and that we won't be making any new memories. But the ones we did I will cherish for ever.'
The cortege was led by the yellow Reliant Regal van from Only Fools and Horses, which Hatton had bought as a fan of the show. After the cathedral service, the coffin was taken to Manchester City's Etihad Stadium for a private service.
Outside the Cheshire Cheese, friends Mike Lunney and Martin Taylor paid tribute. 'This is just a normal working-class place and he resonated with people because of who he was,' Taylor said. 'He was the people's champion for a reason, he was the best person you could meet.'
