Noel Gallagher shared a heartfelt tribute to “one of the lads” Ricky Hatton during an appearance on TalkSport earlier this week.
‘The Hitman’ Hatton who passed away last week, is one of Britain’s best ever boxing phenoms.
After defeating Kosta Tszyu in 2005, in a classic display of Mancunian grit and underdog tenacity, Hatton became an overnight sensation, unifying the belts at the time.
He never hid, with a record of 45 wins and just 3 losses, 2 of which came against Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, commanding respect worldwide for taking on such feats.
After retirement, Hatton had been an incredible advocate for mental health, admitting he struggled with depression and addiction at stages after his career. This campaigning and vocality has led to huge steps in removing the stigmas around mental health struggles in boxing and sport as a whole.
Fellow Mancunian Noel Gallagher paid respect to his friend on TalkSport saying: “It is a real shame for his family, his kids and his grandkids. I was really gobsmacked by it. But he had an amazing career, and the night Liam and I carried his belts out in Vegas was one of the funniest nights ever. It was an honour for us to do that, but it was a funny night with him.” A ‘devastated’ Liam Gallagher paid tribute to Hatton on X too:
Absolutely devastated to hear the news about RICKY HATTON it was an absolute honour to know him and carry his belts RIP CHAMP LIVE FOREVER LG x — Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) September 14, 2025
Hatton was always a huge Oasis fan, he even let the brothers carry his belts during a walk on in a Las Vegas bout in 2007. The hitman recently enjoyed Oasis at Heaton Park courtesy of Noel even sharing the experience on his Instagram, calling it “The Bollocks”
He has even gone on record saying: “Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a world champion, support Man City, and listen to Oasis,”
According to The Sun, Oasis will pay tribute to Hatton at their penultimate Wembley gig later this month.
Noel capped his tribute calling Ricky Hatton ‘a lovely, lovely lad and a great mancunian.’
