Ricky Hatton’s long-serving manager ‘found him after letting himself into his house when he didn’t turn up for a Saturday night boxing fight’

The long-serving manager of Ricky Hatton found the body of the sporting legend at his home in Hyde on Sunday morning, boxing pundit Steve Bunce has revealed.

BBC commentator Bunce, a close friend of the former world champion, told how Hatton’s manager, Paul Speak, went to the 46-year-old’s home in Manchester after he failed to attend a boxing show on Saturday night.

Bunce told 5Live: ‘He filled me in on a few details about the Friday night and the Saturday night. On the Saturday night, Ricky hadn’t gone to a boxing show.

‘Speaky had found out Sunday morning. Speaky went round and let himself into the house. In fact it was Paul Speak who found his great friend and the people’s champion Ricky Hatton.

‘Speaky deserves a little bit of love. You can’t even begin to imagine. It’s a 25-year relationship they’ve had as his commercial and business manager, but more than that it’s his close friend. It’s his confidant.

‘I can’t think of another relationship like it in sport to be perfectly honest. So Speaky was the one that found him.’

Bunce added that nobody knew Hatton better than Speak, who had been by the boxer’s side for much of his illustrious fighting career.

More to follow.