The China Mail - Liam Gallagher, Tyson Fury among mourners at funeral of Ricky Hatton

Hatton, a popular, larger-than-life character who was a two-weight champion, was found dead at his home last month.

Greater Manchester Police said they were not treating the death of the 46-year-old as suspicious.

Family, friends and stars from the worlds of sport and entertainment gathered at Manchester Cathedral for Hatton's funeral.

Gallagher, who took time out from his tour schedule to attend the service, was a long-time friend of Hatton, accompanying him on his ring walk against Paulie Malignaggi in 2008.

Former British world heavyweight champions Fury and Frank Bruno were also at Manchester Cathedral, along with ex-Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff.

Hatton's son Campbell, who followed his father into boxing before retiring this year, paid an emotional tribute to his father.

"I can't explain how much I'm going to miss you, dad, and that we won't be making any new memories -- but the ones we did I will cherish for ever," he said.

The Reverend Canon Grace Thomas, addressing the congregation, described Hatton as "the people's champion".

Earlier, a funeral procession set off from the late boxer's local pub, the Cheshire Cheese, with thousands of mourners lining the streets of Manchester.

A truck carrying Hatton's yellow three-wheeler car was at the head of the funeral procession, with the name "Ricky" spelt out in flowers.

Stops included Hatton's boxing gym and the AO Arena, where he enjoyed some of his finest nights.

Following the service, the cortege made its way to the Etihad Stadium, the home of Hatton's beloved Manchester City.

- Fury tribute -

In a social media tribute to Hatton, Fury said: "I'm not going to be alone when I say this, but Ricky inspired me as a young boy to go on and do great things in boxing.

"I wanted to be just like him. The ring walks, the flashy shorts, the fans, the chanting."

Another British former world champion, Amir Khan, who flew in from Dubai to attend the funeral, said Hatton had left a "massive legacy".

Hatton won world titles in the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions.

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.

He earned notable world title wins over Kostya Tszyu and Jose Luis Castillo before defeats by Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao.

Hatton 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.

He was a tireless ambassador for mental health charities.

Having participated in a no-scoring exhibition against Mexico's Marco Antonio Barrera in 2022, Hatton announced in July he would return to the ring in a professional bout in Dubai in December.

M.Zhou--ThChM