Ricky Hatton told Conor McGregor that he needs to make his return to the octagon last year, and compared their respective comebacks.
The Irishman was due to fight Michael Chandler in June of 2023, and has since set his sights on a bout next summer at the White House. He even pulled out of the running for President of Ireland overnight and is now fully focused on his octagon comeback.
And over a year before his passing, boxing icon Hatton told McGregor that he felt it was necessary to make his own unsuccessful ring return in 2012. He believed he had to know for sure if he still had it, which he ultimately admits he didn’t as he was knocked out by Vyacheslav Senchenko.
- Who is Conor McGregor? Step inside the hedonistic life of UFC’s ‘notorious’ bad boy and legendary double champ
Ricky Hatton’s advice for Conor McGregor on UFC comeback
Ricky Hatton and Conor McGregor didn’t spend much time together before the boxer’s passing over the weekend, but they had met in Riyadh at a fight. And in an interview with DAZN last year, the former world champion noted that he hoped McGregor beat Chandler, even if it is just an effort to see if he ‘still has it’.
“I had to find out if I still had it and I found out that I did not have it anymore,” Hatton said at the time. “And then I went into retirement happy then, having found that out, and I hope Conor McGregor gets the same thing.
“I hope he wins [against Chandler] and I hope we see him in plenty more fights because he’s Mr. Entertainment isn’t he? But if he hasn’t still got it, Conor McGregor will know.
“Conor will know if he’s still got it or not and he’ll know if he needs to knock it on the head and to keep doing the other things he does. I needed to find out if I still had it against [Vyacheslav] Senchenko and I didn’t.
“And I think Conor’s probably reached the same position in his career that I found myself in ten years back.”
Conor McGregor joins UFC stars and boxers paying tribute to Ricky Hatton
On Sunday morning it was announced that Ricky Hatton had passed away at his home in Greater Manchester at the age of 46. Immediately following the news, there was an outpouring of tributes to the boxer, who was one of the most iconic British fighters of all time.
McGregor was among the major names included in the tributes, sharing a photo of the pair with the caption “Rest in Peace Ricky Hatton!”
“Such a sad day for combat sports. Sad day for Great Britain. Sad day for Manchester,” UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall wrote on Instagram. “I remember as a young boy staying up late to watch his legendary career. The original people’s champion, one of us. Rest in peace.”
Tyson Fury, a close friend of Hatton’s, was also quick to pay tribute to the late boxing icon, posting an emotional message alongside two pictures of the pair together.
“Rip to the legend @rickyhatton may he rip 🙏 There will only ever be 1 Ricky hatton 🎶. can’t believe this so young,” Fury wrote in the caption.