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Ricky Hatton
- Author
- Adam Smith
- Narrator
- Adam Smith
- Publisher
- Orion
- Publish Date
- 10 September 2026
- Run Time
- 13 hours 3 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
WAYNE ROONEY: 'Perfectly captures who Ricky was and what he meant to people across the UK'
FRANK WARREN: 'Fearless in capturing the true essence of Ricky's spirit'
With a foreword from Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff, this is a powerful love letter to Ricky Hatton, one of Britain's most beloved sporting icons, and the story of a deep friendship forged through boxing.
'Richard, Rick, Ricky - more like a Rocky story which led to a rollercoaster of fabulous nights, taking a down-to-earth lad from Hyde to Vegas and into the Boxing Hall of Fame. With those spine-tingling Blue Moon ring walks, and rip-roaring action, Richard Hatton MBE was both a sporting icon and a working-class hero.'
As 'The Voice of Boxing' delivered Ricky Hatton's eulogy, Adam Smith's opening words echoed through Manchester Cathedral and across the country. Ricky Hatton's death stunned the world in a way few sporting losses ever have. Tribute after tribute poured in, from the lads on the estates to the A-listers on the red carpets. Everybody loved Ricky. Everybody felt they had lost someone who belonged to them. Ricky Hatton was their voice, their joy, their fighter.
Written with the support of Ricky's friends and family, Adam Smith tells his extraordinary story in full. From Ricky's early career highlights and his iconic Blue Moon ring walks to his title bouts and fight nights in Las Vegas, as well as his struggles after retirement, his life is captured in vivid detail through Adam's eyes. Adam was one of Ricky's closest friends and was with him from the very beginning - at ringside, backstage, in bars, cars, takeaways and late-night hotel corridors, through all the triumphs, meltdowns, laughter, heartbreak and healing. He writes movingly about how it was Ricky who helped him through his own battle with cancer, providing him with the strength and support he needed to recover. Adam didn't just tell Ricky's story on television, he lived it with him. His laugh. His energy. His compassion. His heart.
All of it lives on in these pages.
Critics Review
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Ricky Hatton was a working-class hero, adored by everyone in Manchester. Adam's book perfectly captures who he was and what he meant to people across the UK.
Wayne Rooney
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A brilliant, heartfelt tribute to Ricky.
Tyson Fury
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Ricky was an unbelievable entertainer and a fearless fighter - Adam's book is just as fearless in capturing the true essence of Ricky's spirit.
Frank Warren
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Besides Ali and Leonard, Ricky was the most thrilling boxer there has been. He was also great company and a great laugh - and Adam's book is a great read.
Phil 'The Power' Taylor
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Ricky left a great legacy that will never be forgotten, Adam's book helps to ensure that.
Eddie Hearn
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Pulls back the curtain on the legend that was - or in fact is - Richard John Hatton... This was truly a book I couldn't put down. And, for me the mark of a quality piece of writing, is I could hear Adam Smith's distinctive voice reading each page to me... Hatton's light will never go out as long as pugilists are challenging each other in the squared circle and beyond. And this book is the ultimate instrument to keeping that important memory alive.
Ian Hart, Sussex Express
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Smith writes smoothly and his narrative flows well. He faithfully catalogs the many good things about Hatton as a person and a fighter. And he talks about the problems that surfaced after Ricky's greatest victory (an eleventh-round stoppage of Kostya Tszyu) and most devastating loss (a two-round destruction at the hands of Manny Pacquiao)... That's good, honest writing.
Thomas Hauser, Award-winning Author of Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Adam Smith
- Narrator
- Adam Smith
- Duration
- 13 hours 3 minutes
- Release Date
- 10 September 2026
- ISBN
- 9781399644501
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Orion
- Genre
- Boxing, Biography: arts and entertainment
Synopsis
TYSON FURY: 'A brilliant, heartfelt tribute to Ricky'WAYNE ROONEY: 'Perfectly captures who Ricky was and what he meant to people across the UK'FRANK WARREN: 'Fearless in capturing the true essence of Ricky's spirit'With a foreword from Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff, this is a powerful love letter to Ricky Hatton, one of Britain's most beloved sporting icons, and the story of a deep friendship forged through boxing.'Richard, Rick, Ricky - more like a Rocky story which led to a rollercoaster of fabulous nights, taking a down-to-earth lad from Hyde to Vegas and into the Boxing Hall of Fame. With those spine-tingling Blue Moon ring walks, and rip-roaring action, Richard Hatton MBE was both a sporting icon and a working-class hero.'As 'The Voice of Boxing' delivered Ricky Hatton's eulogy, Adam Smith's opening words echoed through Manchester Cathedral and across the country. Ricky Hatton's death stunned the world in a way few sporting losses ever have. Tribute after tribute poured in, from the lads on the estates to the A-listers on the red carpets. Everybody loved Ricky. Everybody felt they had lost someone who belonged to them. Ricky Hatton was their voice, their joy, their fighter.Written with the support of Ricky's friends and family, Adam Smith tells his extraordinary story in full. From Ricky's early career highlights and his iconic Blue Moon ring walks to his title bouts and fight nights in Las Vegas, as well as his struggles after retirement, his life is captured in vivid detail through Adam's eyes. Adam was one of Ricky's closest friends and was with him from the very beginning - at ringside, backstage, in bars, cars, takeaways and late-night hotel corridors, through all the triumphs, meltdowns, laughter, heartbreak and healing. He writes movingly about how it was Ricky who helped him through his own battle with cancer, providing him with the strength and support he needed to recover. Adam didn't just tell Ricky's story on television, he lived it with him. His laugh. His energy. His compassion. His heart. All of it lives on in these pages.
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