Ricky Hatton funeral live: Mourners gather as procession around Manchester begins

Hundreds look on as procession sets off

The procession has set off from the Cheshire Cheese pub on Stockport Road in Hyde and is making its way along the 10-mile (16km) route to Manchester Cathedral.

Mourners will then be able to head to Etihad Stadium, home of Hatton's beloved Manchester City, after the funeral.

'There's only one Ricky Hatton'

When the BBC visited Hatton Boxing in Hyde, there was no shortage of people wanting to pay tribute to him.

"He was like the hero of Hyde and everyone will tell you that," said friend and trainer Blain Younis.

"We all grew up wanting to be Ricky Hatton.

"So then, in the end, it was mad that the guy that I grew up wanting to be became a friend."

Flags of Hatton's beloved Man City flying outside pub

Jonny Humphries

BBC News

Manchester City flags in memory of Hatton are flying outside the pub where the funeral cortege will begin its journey.

The procession is setting off from The Cheshire Cheese in Hyde at 09:45.

Vanessa Stansfield, pictured right with friend Emily, has been selling blue flags all week with the proceeds being donated to the Men’s Club mental health charity.

She said: "He was a great boxer, icon, inspiration to so millions of people but to us he was just a local lad who had time for everyone."

Phil Benson, pictured left with Kevin Burton, who works at the Cheshire Cheese pub, said Hatton always stayed "true to his roots".

"As I was growing up - the same age as Ricky - he was my idol - proper boxer, proper lad, made it big and never changed himself," he said.

"It's why everyone loved him. He was jus down to Earth"

He added that he was "his favourite boxer of all time".

'We just had to be a part of his send-off. He's a special bloke'

Anna Jameson

BBC News

People on the streets of Hyde have described much it meant to them that Hatton invested in his hometown.

He trained here everyday.

Cars are beeping as they pass and the railings have been decorated with scarves, boxing gloves and flags.

A Manchester City shirt tied to the gate reads: “Ricky. Sleep Tight.”

Among the mourners is 43-year-old Michael Lunny, who has travelled from Shropshire.

"We travelled with Ricky round the world. We went to Vegas watching him." he said.

"If he can bring 30,000 people to Vegas what's he going to bring here today?

"We had to be a part of his send-off. He's a special bloke."

'I've followed him since I was young'

Diane and Ian Birtwistle have travelled from Bolton while their son Lee has made the journey all the way from Cumbria.

"He is well thought of by many people," said Diane.

"It's a very sad occasion to think this has all come about. Very sad and very sorry to his family."

Lee, who has a boxing gym in Cumbria, said Hatton had made a big difference to so many people's lives especially due to his openness about his struggles with mental health.

"I've followed him since I was young with the boxing," he said.

"I have suffered mental health myself. I had a breakdown in 2010.

"You need to be open. If I wasn't open and talk to people I probably wouldn't be here now. You've got to talk."

Early crowds already gathering

Bobbie Jackson

BBC Sport at Manchester Cathedral

It’s grey and overcast in Manchester but the rain is forecast to hold off.

A few groups have already starting to gather outside the Cathedral as security assemble barriers, with hundreds of members of the public set to be lining the streets to bid farewell to an icon of the city.

Ricky Hatton’s popularity meant he was adored across the board and stars from a multitude of sports are expected to attend today.

British heavyweight boxer Frazer Clarke was here earlier taking a walk around the outside of the Cathedral.

What is the procession route?

Hatton's family has shared a route for fans wishing to pay their respects.

The funeral procession route will begin at 09:45 BST outside the Cheshire Cheese pub on Stockport Road in Hyde.

The procession will then make its way to Harehill Tavern in Hyde before doves are released in Hatton's honour at The New Inn in Salford.

It will continue through Hyde, pausing at Hatton's Gym and passing Hyde Town Hall and the AO Arena, before finishing at Manchester Cathedral.

Mourners will then be able to continue on to Etihad Stadium, home of Hatton's beloved Manchester City Football Club, after the funeral.

Who was 'the people's champion' Ricky Hatton?

The sporting world was left in shock when Hatton was found dead at his home.

Born in Stockport in 1978, the charismatic fighter spent most of his upbringing on the Hattersley council estate in Hyde, Greater Manchester.

But it was the hours spent tucked away in a small gym his parents built in their pub cellar where his love for boxing was born.

He rose through amateur and domestic levels to pit his wits against the elite boxers of his generation, including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao.

He was as high on the list of Britain's most popular and recognisable boxers having won world titles in the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions.

His all-action style – which led to the nickname “Hitman” - made him one of the most popular fighters in the first decade of the 21st Century.

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