Tyson Fury is among the many professional boxers and sports personalities who gathered to pay their respects at the funeral of legendary boxer Ricky Hatton.
Earlier today (10 October), the former heavyweight champion took to social media to celebrate the life of his childhood hero, who inspired so many young boxers to take up the sport.
Hatton passed away at his home in Hyde on 14 September at the age of 46.
Thousands of people lined the streets of Manchester as part of the boxing legend's funeral procession, led by his iconic Only Fools and Horses three-wheel Reliant Robin, as the sportsman was laid to rest.
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Just hours after taking to Instagram to say he 'wanted to be just like' Hatton when growing up, Fury was pictured outside Manchester Cathedral for the service, where he raised eyebrows with a flashy suit.
From a distance, it looks as though the self-proclaimed 'Gypsy King' is wearing a suit covered in mini stained-glass portraits, but when you get a closer look, it is actually made up of hundreds of small pictures of himself.
One image appears to show him sitting on a throne, wearing a superhero outfit and a crown, while another depicts the moment he married his wife, Paris, along with pictures of their children.
After Hatton's death last month, the boxer paid tribute to him, writing on social media: "Rip to the legend @rickyhatton may he rip. There will only ever be 1 Ricky Hatton. Can’t believe this so young."
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In his video on his Instagram Story before the funeral, Fury said that Hatton 'inspired him as a young boy to go on and do great things in boxing'.
He added: "I wanted to be just like him - the ring walks, the flashy shorts, the fans, the chanting.
"Without Ricky Hatton, Manchester wouldn't have had, the North West wouldn't have had, the UK wouldn't have had, so many boxing world champions, inspired by the great Richard Hitman Hatton.
"Rest in peace, Rick. See you soon buddy."
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While Fury is known for his slightly garish outfits, Hatton was no stranger to a bit of dress up and previously spoke about how much he loved dressing up in Del Boy's iconic flat cap and sheepskin fur coat, and driving around his local town of Hyde in the real-life Only Fools Reliant Robin that he purchased in 2007.
In 2017, Hitman Hatton took sports pundit Steve Bunce for a ride in the three-wheeler, which struggled to get going at first, unsurprisingly given it was 60 years old at the time.
"The buzz I used to get about when I used to drive down the road," Hatton said, laughing. "I used to have my flat cap and me sheepskin on and people used to just look at me and go, 'Is that Ricky Hatton?!'"
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Elsewhere, Hatton was known for his incredible showmanship and love for flashy shorts when entering the ring, something for which Fury admired him.
Topics: Sport, Boxing, Tyson Fury
Emma Rosemurgey