Liam Gallagher Pays Tribute to Late British Boxing Legend Ricky Hatton: ‘RIP CHAMP LIVE FOREVER’

Liam Gallagher is mourning the death of his friend British boxing legend Ricky Hatton. Following the passing of the 46-year old former champ, Oasis singer Liam took to X to pay tribute to Hatton, writing, “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.”

According to the BBC, the world champion nicknamed “The Hitman” was found dead in his home in Greater Manchester early on Sunday (Sept. 14), with officials not considering his passing suspicious. Hatton was a boxing legend, winning 45 of 48 professional bouts across a 15-year career and holding world titles as both a light-welterweight and welterweight. The boxer who retired in 2012 ran up a peerless record of 43-0 before losing to fellow legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 2007.

Like the Gallaghers, Hatton was born in Manchester and was a lifelong supporter of his hometown and its cultural legacy. He squared the circle on their shared background in 2008 when Liam and brother Noel carried Hatton’s world title belts into the ring ahead of the boxer’s Las Vegas bout with Paulie Malignaggi.

Speaking about his friendship with the Gallaghers earlier this year to the Vegas Insider, Hatton said, “Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a boxing world champion, support [local soccer club] Man City and listen to Oasis. But I became a four-time world champion in two weight classes, ended up boxing at the Etihad Stadium in front of 55,000 people, and became mates with Noel and Liam Gallagher over the years.”

Hatton said he had bigger wins than his victory over Malignaggi, and “no disrespect to Paulie but the performance and the occasion with Noel and Liam carrying the belt was one of the highlights in my career. After that, Noel and Liam were performing in Mexico City, so I flew straight from Las Vegas to Mexico City with my pals to watch their gig.”

He also opined on the detente between the once famously battling Gallagher brothers, saying, “I didn’t think they were going to get back together, Noel has said himself, when the fallouts happen then it’s over. Thankfully, he’s swallowed his pride, and they’ve got back together, and I’m made up. I’m excited to see them perform all of the old songs and if they can get together and make new songs, how good is that?”

NME reported that in July Hatton attended one of the first Oasis reunion shows in Cardiff and later posted a picture of himself with Noel Gallagher and some friends at Heaton Park in their hometown of Manchester, as well as at a show in Dublin.

In one of his final public appearances in August, Hatton was recorded at a bar in Tenerife in the Canary Island at a bar joining the house band for a cover of Oasis’ signature hit “Wonderwall” as well as crooning a karaoke version of the band’s “Don’t Look Back in Anger” at a bar in Spain.

Oasis’ sold-out reunion tour marched on over the weekend with a pair of shows in Mexico City as the outing prepares to hop back over to London for another pair of shows at Wembley Stadium (Sept. 27-28), before launching dates in South Korea and Japan in October.

Check out Liam Gallagher’s tribute to Hatton below.