'Etched into British sporting folklore' - Hatton's life in pictures

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From the Sale chemical works social club where he first laced on the gloves, to the swirling glamour of the Las Vegas Strip, Ricky Hatton took a famous journey to the top of the boxing world in his stride.

Nicknamed 'the Hitman', he won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight and was one of Britain's most popular fighters.

With thousands of boisterous supporters following his every step, Hatton called out and took on the greatest fighters of his generation, earning global acclaim for his all-action style and down-to-earth demeanour.

As the world of boxing mourns the loss of Hatton at the age of 46, BBC Sport looks at some of the most striking images from his career.

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On leaving school, Hatton joined the family carpet business before turning professional in 1997 while still a teenager
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From 1999 to 2001, Hatton won the WBO and WBA inter-continental light-welterweight titles plus the WBU and British light-welterweight belts
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He made a record 15 successful defences of the WBU title from 2001 to 2004 - at his peak in the 140-pound division, Hatton was renowned for his vicious body punching that was honed under his long-time coach Billy Graham
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Carrying a record of 38-0 into the fight, Hatton reached arguably the pinnacle of his career in June 2005 when he defeated the legendary Russia-born Australian Kostya Tszyu to win the Ring and IBF titles
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He became unified champion by stopping Carlos Maussa in November 2005 with a victory that paved the way for a move to welterweight. Hatton was also named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine, the Boxing Writers Association of America and ESPN
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His win over Luis Collazo delivered the WBA welterweight title in 2006
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In January 2007, Hatton won the first of his five Las Vegas super fights - beating Juan Urango - before stopping Mexican great Jose Luis Castillo in June of the same year after being accompanied to the ring by Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney
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By the time he faced Floyd Mayweather Jr in December 2007, Hatton had etched his name into British sporting folklore – and with an estimated 30,000 fans flocking to Las Vegas for the occasion, he was stopped but not disgraced in 10 rounds by one of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers of all time
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Hatton finished third behind Joe Calzaghe in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year vote in 2007
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While Hatton struggled to come to terms with defeat to Mayweather, in 2008 he returned with victories over Juan Lazcano and Paulie Malignaggi, being flanked by Liam and Noel Gallagher of rock band Oasis after the latter fight
Image source, Reuters
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Hatton's second-round defeat to Manny Pacquiao in May 2009 took a huge emotional toll on him
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Having announced his retirement, Hatton made an unsuccessful professional comeback in 2012 when he lost to Vyacheslav Senchenko

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Published
16 August

'Etched into British sporting folklore' - Hatton's life in pictures

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