Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Former boxing world champion Ricky Hatton has died aged 46, just weeks after announcing a comeback fight, sparking a flood of tributes to one of the sport’s “modern greats”.

Hatton was found dead at his home in Hyde, northwest England.

Greater Manchester Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious.

“Officers were called by a member of the public to attend Bowlacre Road, Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45 am (0545 GMT) today (Sunday) where they found the body of a 46-year-old man,” said a police spokesman.

“There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.”

Hatton, nicknamed “The Hitman”, won multiple world titles in the light-welterweight division and one at welterweight.

His aggressive style made him one of the most popular British boxers of his generation, winning 45 of his 48 professional bouts after his debut in 1997.

Hatton earned notable world title wins over Kostya Tszyu and Jose Luis Castillo before defeats by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio.

He was candid about the mental health issues he faced after he retired from the ring for a second time following an ill-advised comeback attempt against Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012.

In a BBC interview in 2016, he described his struggles with drinking and drugs and revealed he had tried to take his own life several times.

Hatton overcame a fallout with his family and a court case with his former trainer Billy Graham to become a successful trainer, coaching Zhanat Zhakiyanov to a world bantamweight title win in 2017.

He also fought a non-scoring exhibition against Marco Antonio Barrera in 2022.

In July, he announced he would make a return to boxing in a professional bout against Eisa Al Dah in Dubai in December and had started training for the bout.

- Mental health issues -

Filipino former eight-division Pacquiao paid tribute on Instagram to “a great fighter” and “a brave and kind man”.

Pacquiao, whose stunning second-round knockout of Hatton in Las Vegas in 2009 marked the start of the British boxer’s decline at elite level, said he had “shared unforgettable moments in boxing history” with his rival.

“I will always honour the respect and sportsmanship he showed,” he said.

“Ricky fought bravely, not just in the ring, but in his journey through life.”

Hatton’s former promoter Frank Warren said on X the boxer was a “superbly talented fighter who inspired a generation of young boxers and fans”.

“Ricky will rightly go down as one of the modern greats of this sport,” he said.

Former British world heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Antony Joshua also spoke warmly about their late compatriot.

Another British former world champion, Amir Khan, described Hatton as a “mentor, warrior and one of Britain’s greatest boxers”.

Khan also referred to his friend’s struggles with mental health.

“As fighters, we tell ourselves we’re strong – we train, we sweat, we take hits, we get up,” he said.

“But sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind.

“Mental health isn’t weakness. It’s part of being human. And we must talk about it. We must reach out. We must lean on each other.”

Hatton was a huge fan of Manchester City and the club said they were devastated by his death, calling him one of their “most loved and revered supporters”.

His face was projected on the big screens at the Etihad Stadium during a minute’s applause before Sunday’s derby with Manchester United and City players wore black armbands.

“I know how incredible a Manchester City fan he was and he could live the bad moments and the good moments in the last 10 or 15 years,” City manager Pep Guardiola said after his team’s 3-0 win.