Ricky Hatton<\/a> in September 2025, the community is coming together once again to honour his memory. After a deeply moving, star-studded Mancunian send-off, the city is preparing for \u2018An Evening4Ricky\u2019\u2014a spectacular tribute to The Hitman\u2019s life and legacy.<\/p>\nTaking place on Sunday, 7th June, the event aims to celebrate Ricky with music, laughter, and shared memories, all while raising crucial funds and awareness for mental health.<\/p>\n
What to expect at An Evening4Ricky<\/p>\n
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Credit: AO Arena<\/p>\n
Fittingly hosted at the AO Arena\u2014the legendary venue where Ricky fought 15 of his most memorable bouts\u2014the arena floor will be transformed into a reimagined boxing ring. The event will be broadcast both in the UK and globally, allowing fans worldwide to tune in.<\/p>\n
The tribute will be structured across 12 \u201crounds\u201d of top-tier entertainment, featuring:<\/p>\n
Live music: Performances from some of Ricky\u2019s favourite bands and artists.<\/p>\n
Sporting icons: Fellow boxing legends and sports stars sharing heartfelt tributes.<\/p>\n
Comedy & entertainment: Stand-up and performances from renowned entertainers.<\/p>\n
Immersive fan experiences: Designed to celebrate the ultimate \u201cpeople\u2019s champion.\u201d<\/p>\n
A star-studded guest list<\/p>\n
A massive line-up of stars has already been confirmed, with more names to be announced in the coming weeks. The likes of Paddy McGuinness, Frank Bruno, Jason Manford, Phil \u2018The Power\u2019 Taylor, Natasha Jonas, Clare Sweeney, DJ Spoony, Paulie Malignaggi, Marco Antonio Barrera, Rowetta, Steph Houghton, Tony Bellew, Michael Watson, Prince Naz, and The Ks are all confirmed to attend.<\/p>\n
Friends and boxing colleagues including Wayne Rooney, Phil Foden, Freddie Flintoff, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua have also been invited, so fans can expect some surprises throughout the night.<\/p>\n
12-round schedule<\/p>\n
Round 1 \u2013 Ricky The Man.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on Ricky the man.\u00a0From Dad, to son, brother, Uncle, friend and boxer. Tributes from family, friends, fighters and fans.\u00a0To celebrate his unique sense of humour, we encourage all those attending to dress up in some of his favourite outfits. Ricky Fatton with his fat suit, Elvis, the Manchester Mexican etc \u2013 (prizes given for the best on the night). Ricky was one of us, this night is as much about the fans as it is the stars and performers, this is your chance to pay tribute too!<\/p>\n
Round 2 \u2013 Live Music from John Newman<\/p>\n
Round 3 \u2013 Ricky the Fighter\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ricky\u2019s style, what made him so hard to beat? What made him a champion?\u00a0 Hear from elite trainers, opponents, boxers & fighters past and present who sparred, trained, fought and knew Ricky.<\/p>\n
Round 4 \u2013 Live Music Performance from Russell Watson<\/p>\n
Round 5 \u2013 The WBC Tribute\u00a0<\/p>\n
A surprise presentation of the new WBC belt in Ricky\u2019s name, awarded to a current fighter who embodies his spirit: of no surrender, total honesty, \u2018give it your all\u2019 true warrior code. Presented by Marco Antonio Barrera, Campbell Hatton, Roberto \u2018Hands of Stone\u2019 Duran and a host of boxing royalty and hall-of-famers. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Round 6 \u2013 The Poem<\/p>\n
An iconic new poem specially written & performed for this night by \u2018Manchester\u2019s Poet\u2019 Tony Walsh, telling the story of Ricky\u2019s life. Tony famously created \u2018This is the Place\u2019 in the wake of the Manchester bombing. He performs his poetry with heart and soul, and this will be a powerful and emotional moment in the show. This will be an incredible spine-tingling tribute and performance by a performer at the top of his game.<\/p>\n
Round 7 \u2013 Live Music Performance from Rowetta<\/p>\n
Round 8 \u2013 Viva Las Vegas!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reliving the unforgettable nights, Elvis is in the building! Anecdotes from those who were with Ricky when he took over Vegas with his 30 thousand fans. This is when the world woke up to the Hatton phenomenon. Be a part of Manchester saluting Ricky\u2019s second City, Las Vegas\u2026expect a load of Elvis, he will be in the building. Expect surprises.<\/p>\n
Round 9 \u2013 Live Music Performance from The Lottery Winners<\/p>\n
Round 10 \u2013 Live Music Performance from Tine Tempah<\/p>\n
Round 11 \u2013 Hi Ho Ricky Hatton featuring Paulie Malignaggi!<\/p>\n
Ricky was famous for having it large in between fights, he loved life, and lived it to the full. Ricky celebrated his life with his own great sense of humour! Remember the Fat Suit and Oasis at the Malignaggi fight? Paulie Malignaggi, was at first his bitter rival but then became a close friend. He\u2019s flying in to relive that amazing night, along with a host of famous boxers\/sportspeople\/entertainers. There\u2019s also some pie eating too with some famous \u2018eaters\u2019- bringing humour, nostalgia and fan-interactions. Also featuring the England Supporters Band and Joey Blower!<\/p>\n
Round 12 \u2013 Live Music Performance from Bugzy Malone\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then time to drink and a dance\u2026.<\/p>\n
The Ricky Hatton All-Star DJ Mash up \u2013 Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham\u2019s Manchester all-star squad of celebrity pro DJs versus Merseyside Mayor Steve Rotherham\u2019s Liverpool crew:\u00a0A one-off showdown on the decks, built for audience interaction. The fans decide who the winner of this face off will be. Who\u2019s got the better tunes? Liverpool or Manchester? This will be one in a lifetime line-up, never going to be seen again on the same stage.<\/p>\n
The Finale\u2026<\/p>\n
With artists to be revealed on the night!<\/p>\n
Ricky\u2019s son and co-founder of the Ricky Hatton Foundation, Campbell Hatton, shared his excitement for the tribute: \u201cThis night means everything to our family. My dad gave so much to the fans and to Manchester, and this is about bringing everyone together to celebrate his legacy. It\u2019s going to be emotional, but also full of energy, laughter, and great memories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Campbell also noted that his father\u2019s deep love for music will be heavily featured, alongside a brand-new poem dedicated to Ricky, performed centre-ring by acclaimed Manchester poet Tony Walsh.<\/p>\n
The Ricky Hatton Foundation & future plans<\/p>\n
All proceeds from the evening will support the official launch of The Ricky Hatton Foundation, alongside other local and national mental health charities dedicated to wellbeing and support.<\/p>\n
The tributes won\u2019t stop there. Plans are already in motion with Legends SG for \u2018Game4Ricky\u2019, a globally broadcast celebrity football match scheduled for this autumn.<\/p>\n
How to get tickets<\/p>\n
To ensure the event remains accessible to the everyday fans who supported Ricky throughout his legendary career, tickets start at just \u00a325. Any remaining tickets are available here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Credit: John Gichigi\/ALLSPORT\/ Getty Images \u00a0\u2013\u00a0 Staff Writer \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 June 5, 2026 Following the heart-breaking loss of boxing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":623792,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[2560,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-623791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/623792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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