Tyson Fury and Ricky Hatton were close friends and the ‘Gypsy King’ was one of several high-profile guests at the Hitman’s funeral, where he donned a striking suit
Tyson Fury’s attire for Ricky Hatton’s funeral caused a stir on Friday, but it appears that the Gypsy King was worte a suit adorned with images of himself for sentimental reasons. Onlookers were left doing a double-take as the former heavyweight champion’s wardrobe stood out against that of his fellow mourners.
Fury, 37, matched the patterned blazer and trousers with a dark shirt, waistcoat and tie for the service paying tribute to Hatton. The Hitman was found dead at his home aged 46 last month, with an emotional celebration of his life taking place on Friday.
Thousands of emotional fans lined the streets to bid farewell to the boxing star, as icons of the boxing world and Manchester turned up to mourn one of the city’s favourite sons. King was joined by the likes of Liam Gallagher and Wayne Rooney at the service.
And it appears that Fury was paying his respects to one of his boxing heroes in a unique way. In 2020, Fury wore a silver suit embellished with dozens of pictures of other boxers when he was a special guest for TNT Sport’s coverage of Daniel Dubois’ win over Ricardo Snijders.
Standing next to him was former adversary David Haye, who may have thought his green and black suit was rather flamboyant. When Fury appeared on screen, Hatton couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
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While recording a television screen in a bar, the late boxing legend couldn’t stop giggling as he taunted the Gypsy King’s outfit on his Instagram page. He said: “Tyson, what are you doing with that suit on? I remember when David Haye used to wear s*** suits, but now you’ve overtook him, oh my god!”.
Fast-forward to the day of the boxing legend’s funeral, Fury’s suit was similar to the one he sported when Hatton playfully taunted him. The outfit appeared to be a nod to their friendship and shared sense of humour, with the boxers known to have been good friends in and outside of the gym.
American boxing promoter Lou Dibella has reinforced the suggestion, and hit out at any critics over Fury’s decision. Dibella believes Fury’s suit was a tribute to Hatton.
“For all those who are inclined to make snarky comments about Fury under the post below, he is there for Ricky,” he said on X. “Ricky Hatton is looking down chuckling at the big Gypsy.
“If you think Ricky would have given a s*** what Tyson wore to his send off, you didn’t know him. Blessings to all grieving today. God bless Ricky Hatton, a truly good man. There will only ever be one Ricky Hatton.”
Hatton’s funeral was a poignant occasion which brought the whole of Manchester together. His funeral cortege passed several places that meant a lot to the Hitman.
Beginning in his hometown of Hyde, Greater Manchester, it made its way from his local boozer, the Cheshire Cheese pub, to the Manchester Cathedral, where his service was held in front of family and friends.
It also passed the AO Arena, where he overcame pound-for-pound great Kostya Tszyu in 2005. His journey also included a poignant stop at his parents’ former pub, the New Inn, and passed by the Etihad Stadium, home of his favourite football team, Manchester City.
As he entered the cathedral, a brass band performed a stirring rendition of ‘Walking in a Hatton wonderland,’ set to the tune of ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland. ‘.
As he made his final journey through his hometown, thousands of fans filled the streets to bid him farewell, before his loved ones gathered for a heartfelt service to share their memories.